Velociraptor mongoliensis

Overview

Velociraptor, meaning "swift thief," is one of the most famous dinosaurs—but also one of the most misunderstood! This feathered hunter lived approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Mongolia and China.

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Taxonomy & Classification

• Clade: Theropoda
• Family: Dromaeosauridae (the "raptor" family)
• Diet: Carnivorous
• Locomotion: Bipedal

Velociraptor was closely related to birds and is part of the same family that includes Deinonychus and Utahraptor.

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Physical Characteristics

Size & Build

• Length: About 2 meters (6.5 feet) including tail
• Height: 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) at the hip
• Weight: 15-20 kg (33-44 lbs)—about the size of a turkey!

Movie Myth Buster: The "Velociraptors" in Jurassic Park are actually based on Deinonychus, which was much larger!

The Killer Claw

• Each foot had a large, sickle-shaped claw on the second toe
• Claws were about 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) long
• Held off the ground while walking to keep it sharp
• Used to pin down and slash prey

Feathers

• Covered in feathers like modern birds!
• Fossil evidence shows quill knobs on arm bones where feathers attached
• Feathers used for warmth, display, and possibly balance
• Looked more like a scary bird than a scaly lizard

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Hunting & Intelligence

Clever Hunter

Velociraptor was smart for a dinosaur:

• Large brain relative to body size
• Excellent vision with forward-facing eyes
• Quick reflexes and agile movements
• Likely hunted small mammals, lizards, and baby dinosaurs

The Famous Fighting Fossil

One incredible fossil, called the "Fighting Dinosaurs," shows:

• A Velociraptor locked in combat with a Protoceratops
• Both were buried by a sudden sandstorm mid-fight
• The raptor's claw is embedded in the Protoceratops' neck
• Proof that these hunters took on prey larger than themselves!

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Speed & Agility

Built for Speed

• Long, stiff tail acted like a balance beam
• Could make sharp turns while running
• Estimated top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph)
• Long legs and light body made it very agile

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Pack Hunting: Fact or Fiction?

Despite movie portrayals, there's no solid evidence Velociraptors hunted in packs:

• Most fossils found alone
• May have been solitary hunters or hunted in pairs
• The pack-hunting idea is still debated

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Velociraptor vs. Movie Raptors

Feature	Real Velociraptor	Movie Version
Size	Turkey-sized	Human-sized
Covering	Feathered	Scaly
Intelligence	Smart for dinosaur	Super genius
Location	Mongolia	Everywhere

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Cool Facts

• Velociraptor is more closely related to chickens than to lizards!
• Its name means "swift thief" in Latin
• Could not actually open doors (sorry, Jurassic Park fans!)
• The "raptors" in movies are actually based on its larger cousin, Deinonychus
• Baby Velociraptors were probably fluffy and adorable

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The real Velociraptor may have been smaller than its movie counterpart, but it was still a fierce, intelligent predator—just with a lot more feathers!