Velociraptor

Overview

Velociraptor was a small, fast, feathered predatory dinosaur that lived in the arid deserts of what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period, around 75 to 71 million years ago — far smaller than its famous Hollywood depiction. It belongs to the Dromaeosauridae, a family of small-to-medium theropod dinosaurs closely related to modern birds, and most of what scientists know about it comes from fossils recovered in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, including one of the most famous dinosaur fossils ever found: the 'Fighting Dinosaurs,' discovered in 1971, which captures a Velociraptor locked in combat with a Protoceratops at the moment both animals died.

Appearance

Unlike its popular film depiction, it was roughly turkey-sized — about 2 meters long including a long, stiffened tail, and weighing only 15 to 20kg — and covered in feathers, a conclusion supported by quill knob bumps found on a fossilized forearm bone, which are the same structures that anchor flight feathers in modern birds. Its most distinctive feature was a large, curved, sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each hind foot, which it likely held retracted off the ground while walking to keep it sharp for hunting.

Habitat & Distribution

The velociraptor is found in desert habitats.

Diet & Behavior

Diet: Carnivore — Meat-eating animals that hunt, scavenge, or fish for prey, ranging from big cats to snakes and birds of prey.

Velociraptor was likely an agile, active pursuit hunter, using its enlarged sickle claw to grip and pin down prey rather than slash it open as often depicted in films, a hunting method supported by comparisons to how some modern birds of prey use their talons. It walked and ran on two legs, and its relatively large brain-to-body ratio compared to many other dinosaurs suggests keen senses and a level of behavioral flexibility. As an opportunistic predator, it likely hunted small dinosaurs, lizards, and early mammals, and — much like some modern predators — may have scavenged carcasses when the opportunity arose.

Interesting Facts

• 1

  It was roughly the size of a turkey, much smaller than film depictions suggest.

• 2

  Fossil evidence shows it was covered in feathers, though it could not fly.

• 3

  A famous fossil captures one locked in combat with a Protoceratops, fighting to the death.

• 4

  Fossilized quill knobs on a Velociraptor forearm bone, the same bumps that anchor flight feathers in birds today, are direct physical evidence it had feathers.

• 5

  The movie raptors in Jurassic Park were modeled more closely on Deinonychus, a larger relative of Velociraptor, than on the real, turkey-sized Velociraptor mongoliensis.

Gallery

Velociraptor FAQs