Velociraptor

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|- style="vertical-align:top;" |(unranked)||Maniraptora

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Velociraptor mongoliensis ("fast thief"), was an agile and slender theropod dinosaur species from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) with an up-curved skull and large sickle-shaped claws. They are commonly known as raptors, a name which can also refer to other dromaeosaurids.

Claws and teeth

Velociraptors had strong jaws with rows of bladed teeth. These, in combination with large claws on their forelimbs and sickle-shaped talons on the second toe (the size of these claws could reach up to the length of the teeth on extinct saber-toothed cats), gave the animals some impressive weaponry.

In 2005, a BBC documentary, The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs, created an artificial Velociraptor leg and sickle claw to demonstrate the claw's power - when tested on a pork belly, the claw failed to fully penetrate it, lending discredit to the popular notion of Velociraptor using the claw to disembowel its prey (as described in the movie Jurassic Park).

Evidence as to how the claw was actually used is provided by one of the more spectacular specimens of Velociraptor, found in the Gobi desert in 1971. It is a complete, articulated skeleton clutching the skeleton of a Protoceratops. The penetrating toe claw is near to where the Protoceratops's jugular vein would have been, and the Velociraptor's arm is clutched in the herbivore's jaws. This suggests Velociraptor used its sickle claw for precision killing, to pierce its victim's jugular vein or windpipe. The dinosaurs may have been caught in a sandstorm, or buried as a sand dune fell on top of them. Another interpretation is that Velociraptor grabbed the dead carcass of Protoceratops (which seems to be missing a leg) during a sandstorm or flash flood.

Velociraptor was first found and described by paleontologist H. F. Osborn in Mongolia in 1924. About a dozen Velociraptor fossils have been found, including one who died in a battle to the death with Protoceratops and two hatchling Velociraptor skulls that were found near an oviraptorid nest in Mongolia (they may have been a meal). Fossils have been found in Mongolia, Russia, and China.

Other characteristics

Velociraptor is among the most birdlike dinosaurs known. Recently, fossils of dinosaurs related to Velociraptor (coelurosaurs) have been found in China with downy feathers on their bodies, and some even have flight feathers on their arms. It is therefore likely that Velociraptor bore feathers too, although no fossil evidence has yet confirmed this. Some of them have also been found in Plaza Huincul, Neuquen in Argentina.

Velociraptor had a stiff tail, which was always held straight back from it. This granted it superior balance and turning ability. It had very good senses, but its most developed sense was its sense of sight. This suggests it wasn't a scavenger, as almost all scavengers relied primarily on a very good sense of smell. It, as with all other dromaeosaurids, ranks among the most intelligent of dinosaurs. Like its larger American relative deinonychus, Velociraptor may have hunted in packs to make up for its prey's size advantage. Velociraptor was probably warm-blooded, as it would need great quantities of energy to hunt. Still, this will likely never be proven. Nothing actually hunted Velociraptor, and, when in danger, it generally could use its speed to get out of trouble. Its biggest danger came from scavengers who could steal its kills. Also, hunting was dangerous because larger dinosaurs such as Protoceratops could roll over onto the dinonychus, crushing them. Fortunately, the Velociraptor's prey was large enough that it could feed an entire pack, so they didn't have to hunt very often.

Velociraptor has a skull length of 249 mm (9.80 in), a total length of 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in), a hip height of 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in), and weighs 20 kg (45 lb).

Pop Culture References

Velociraptor is well-known in its role as a vicious and cunning killer from the novel and movie Jurassic Park. The "raptors" portrayed there were modelled after a larger relative, Deinonychus. While the movie was in production, the discovery of Utahraptor confirmed that even larger dromaeosaurids did in fact exist.

Another even larger raptor found was Megaraptor, with a sickle-claw large enough to match the curved shape of a football.

The ""NBA"" franchise in Toronto is the ""Toronto_Raptors"" and the logo is a stylised Velociraptor.