Velociraptor

Scientists believe that the raptor’s relatively small size and thin legs and allowed it to run at high speeds and jump large distances. The raptor stood on two feet using it’s tail as a counterbalance which would have enabled very fast turns. The small nature of the raptor forced it to hunt in packs, like wolves. It would have eaten slower, plant eating animals and other herbivores using it’s sharp, 4-inch claws to tear away at it’s prey. The raptors is believed to have been one of the smartest dinosaurs.

FACTS & STATS:

HOW TO SAY IT: veh-loss-ih-RAP-tor
LENGTH: 6 ft 8 in (2.07 m)
HEIGHT: 4 - 5 ft (1.2 - 1.5 m)
WEIGHT: 35 - 45 lbs (15 - 20 kg)
PERIOD: Late Cretaceous Period (75 - 71 MYA)
FAMILY: Dromaeosauridae
DIET: Probably omnivorous - insects, small reptiles and mammals, fruit, eggs, seeds and leaves
WHERE FOUND: Outer Mongolian Gobi Desert/Inner Mongolia

 

Image Description: The Velociraptor is one of the few dinosaurs to have been fossilized in the act of attacking another dinosaur. In the image above, an unfortunate, and comparably sized Protoceratops, battles with a Velociraptor - both creatures died mid-tussle when they were buried in one of the frequent sandstorms of Cretaceous central Asia.

 

Image Description: Velociraptor was not a large animal; it was about 6 feet long and weighed maybe 100 pounds; about the size of a large dog or wolf.