Velociraptor

Velociraptor was a small, feathered bipedal carnivorous dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period in Central Asia.

Fast Facts

1. Name Means: "Swift Thief"
2. Naming Credit: Henry Fairfield Osborn (1924)
3. Range: Mongolia
4. Classification:
   1. Order: Saurischia
   2. Family: Dromaeosauridae
   3. Genus: Velociraptor
   4. Type Species: Velociraptor mongoliensis
5. Period: Late Cretaceous
6. Length: Up to 7 feet
7. Height: Up to 1.5 feet
8. Weight: Up to 35 pounds
9. Feathered
10. One specimen found with Protoceratops
11. Assumed to be warm-blooded
12. Popular Culture: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park 2, Jurassic Park 3

The Camera Adds 500 Pounds

The general public has very high recognition of the Velociraptor due to the animal's prominent role in the three Jurassic Park films. Most people are not aware that the vicious creatures in the movies actually bear little resemblance to the real velociraptor. The film "velociraptor" bears much more resemblance to the giant Utahraptor or Deinonychus, both much larger relatives of Velociraptor.

The real Velociraptor was about the size of a large modern turkey. There is no conclusive evidence that the animals hunted in packs.

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