Many people are fascinated by dinosaurs, especially those that resemble modern day birds. One such dinosaur is the theropod dinosaur known as Velociraptor. With its bird-like features and vicious claws, Velociraptor captures the imaginations of both children and adults alike.
Introduction to Velociraptor
Velociraptor was a mid-sized dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the late Cretaceous Period. Velociraptor fossils have been uncovered in Mongolia, China, and Russia. The type species is V. mongoliensis. They were bipedal feathered carnivores that could grow up to 6.8 ft (2 m) long, 1.6 ft (0.5 m) high at the hip, and weigh up to 33 lbs (15 kg).
Velociraptor had many bird-like features. It had a long, stiffened tail that helped counterbalance the head and torso for efficient running. It had fairly long arms with curved claws on each hand. Its jaws were lined with rows of small serrated teeth for slicing through meat and bone. But perhaps its most distinguishing feature was the large retractable claw on the second toe of each hind foot.
Bird-like Features
Velociraptor shared many anatomical features with modern birds, inherited from their common ancestor. It had hollow bones, feathers, a wishbone, and wings. Studies of Velociraptor fossils reveal the presence of feathers, including large wing feathers on the forelimbs and particularly long feathers on the tail.
Like modern birds, Velociraptor possessed a furcula, or wishbone. This V-shaped bone fuses together the two clavicles (collar bones) in the chest area. In modern birds, the wishbone helps provide rigid support for wing muscles to generate the power needed for flight. While Velociraptor could not fly, the wishbone likely provided structural support and helped enhance breathing.
Deadly Claws
The most striking feature of Velociraptor was the enlarged claw on each of its rear feet. This hooked claw was particularly deadly-looking – the 2.6-3.5 in (6.7 – 8.9 cm) long claw was held off the ground when walking. Velociraptor could flex its toes backward so the claw was always positioned straight underneath the foot. This adaptation enabled the slashing talons to serve as very effective weapons.
It is thought that Velociraptor may have used its claws to pierce vital organs or arteries of larger prey, causing rapid blood loss and death. The claws would then function like bone-cutting shears to slice through muscles and tendons, allowing easy access to soft tissues. Velociraptor claws may have also been used to grip and hold prey items or deliver killing blows to the throat or stomach.
Hunting and Diet
It is believed that Velociraptor were cunning pack hunters, working together to surround and bring down prey. Their intelligence, speed, and slashing attacks made them formidable predators. Studies of the skull have revealed that Velociraptor had a large brain and keen senses of vision, hearing, and smell.
The diet of Velociraptor consisted mainly of small to mid-sized plant eating dinosaurs. Using its speed and agility, Velociraptor could capture swift-moving prey like the early ornithopod Protoceratops or juvenile specimens of larger dinosaurs. It may have also scavenged meals, driving away smaller predators from carcasses. Bite marks on some Velociraptor bones indicate they even fought with each other, perhaps competing for food.
Prey Item | Details |
---|---|
Protoceratops | Beaked herbivore 6.5 ft (2 m) long |
Psittacosaurus | Parrot-beaked plant eater up to 6.5 ft (2 m) long |
Gallimimus | Ostrich-like omnivore up to 13 ft (4 m) long |
Pinacosaurus | Armored ankylosaur 11 ft (3.5 m) long |
Velociraptor vs. Deinonychus
For many years, Velociraptor was thought to be much larger based on the description of a related dromaeosaurid called Deinonychus. Deinonychus and Velociraptor both hail from the same subgroup of theropods and shared many similar features. However, a taxonomic review in the late 1980s determined that the fossils previously labeled Velociraptor belonged to a separate genus, which was then named Deinonychus.
Trait | Velociraptor | Deinonychus |
---|---|---|
Length | 6.8 ft (2 m) | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
Height | 1.6 ft (0.5 m) | 3.3 ft (1 m) |
Weight | 33 lbs (15 kg) | 176 lbs (80 kg) |
When it lived | 75-71 million years ago | 115-108 million years ago |
Where fossils found | Mongolia, China, Russia | USA (Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Oklahoma) |
This mistake resulted in Velociraptor being depicted as much larger in early films, documentaries, and artwork. But in reality, Velociraptor was roughly the size of a turkey, while Deinonychus was closer to the size of a fully grown human.
Velociraptor in Popular Culture
Velociraptor entered mainstream pop culture through its terrifying depiction in the 1990 novel Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and subsequent blockbuster 1993 movie adaptation by Steven Spielberg. However, the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park were actually based on the larger Deinonychus.
In real life, Velociraptor was covered in feathers and only the size of a small dog. But in Jurassic Park, the creatures were shown as massive scaly predators that hunted in packs to terrorize any humans they encountered. So while not scientifically accurate, the film representation of intelligent pack-hunting Velociraptors still captured the imagination of audiences worldwide.
Since then, Velociraptor has appeared in many films, video games, toy lines, and more. They are typically depicted as vicious pack hunters with almost human-like intelligence. Some more recent works have incorporated evidence that Velociraptors were feathered. But the Jurassic Park franchise maintains the scaly, reptilian look to preserve the iconic raptor aesthetic audiences recognize.
Notable Velociraptor Depictions
- Jurassic Park films (1993-, scaly and featherless)
- Walking with Dinosaurs BBC miniseries (1999, feathered)
- Dinosaur Revolution TV documentary (2011, feathered)
- LEGO Jurassic World toys and video games (2015-, featherless)
- Jurassic World films (2015-, scaly and mostly featherless)
Discovery and Naming of Velociraptor
The first Velociraptor fossil was discovered in 1923 by Peter Kaisen on an American Museum of Natural History expedition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. The fossil consisted of a crushed but complete skull. Kaisen did not realize the significance of his find at the time. That year, an expedition led by Henry Fairfield Osborn uncovered another more complete Velociraptor skeleton nearby, which became the type fossil for Velociraptor mongoliensis when described in 1924.
The name Velociraptor means “swift thief.” It is derived from the Latin “velox” meaning swift and “raptor” meaning thief or plunderer. The name refers to its presumed speed and carnivorous diet. The species name mongoliensis indicates where the type fossils were found.
Hundreds more Velociraptor fossils have been found in the years since that first expedition to the Gobi Desert. Specimens have been recovered from Mongolia, China, and Russia. Full and partial skeletons, as well as bones, teeth, claws, and skulls have allowed paleontologists to glean many details about the anatomy, behavior, and ecosystem of this fascinating theropod.
Key Velociraptor Fossil Sites
- Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia
- Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia, China
- Tugrikin Shire, Mongolia
- Tugrugeen Shire, Mongolia
- Djadochta Formation, Mongolia
Modern Advances in Velociraptor Knowledge
New technologies and fossil discoveries continue to improve scientists’ understanding of Velociraptor and other dinosaurs. For example, a 2007 discovery of quill knobs on a well preserved Velociraptor forearm confirmed the presence of wing feathers. Quill knobs are small bumps on bone where feathers are anchored. Finding knobs on Velociraptor in the same places as wing feathers on modern birds supported the idea that dinosaurs evolved into birds.
Using synchrotron imaging of raptor fangs revealed that Velociraptor and its relatives had a wide range of dietary habits, from fish eaters to bone crushers. Analysis of raptor claw shape and curvature showed that toe claws were used for piercing prey, while claws on the hand were likely used for grasping.
Fossilized dromaeosaur brains revealed insights into raptor intelligence and vision. Endocasts of brain cavities showed Velociraptor had large cerebrums for complex thought and excellent binocular vision. Their smarts and vision aided hunting and territorial behavior.
New dig sites and fossil finds continue to fill gaps in the evolutionary history of Velociraptor and its theropod kin. Each discovery brings paleontologists one step closer to understanding these bird-like dinosaurs that once stalked prehistoric landscapes eons ago.
Conclusion
Velociraptor was a small but vicious dinosaur that resembled modern birds in many ways. It possessed feathers, wings, and a wishbone along with a large brain and deadly claws on its feet. Velociraptor likely put its intelligence and slashing talons to use hunting small prey in coordinated packs 75 million years ago. While pop culture often depicts it as much larger, in reality Velociraptor stood just 1.6 ft (0.5 m) tall and looked more like a feathery turkey.
The discovery of Velociraptor has dramatically improved scientists’ understanding of the link between dinosaurs and birds. Ongoing study of Velociraptor fossils and new technologies reveal fresh insights into this bird-like dinosaur every year. Velociraptor continues to fascinate paleontologists and the public alike as one of the most intriguing members of the dinosaur family tree.