Velociraptors Dinosaurs - Cunning and Fast

Velociraptors were very cunning dinosaurs. They could run fast (40 mph sprints may have been possible), were bipedal (walked on two legs) and ate meat. With 80 sharp, curved teeth, encountering a hungry velociraptor would not have been pleasant.

The velociraptor was small compared to other popular dinosaurs like the T Rex. Velociraptors were about three feet tall and five to six feet long. Their "hands" were three-fingered claws, and at the ends of their long thin legs were four-toed clawed feet. Their head was only about seven inches long. Additionally, velociraptors had long stiff tails that probably helped them turn quickly and keep their balance.

Some have believed a velociraptor may have used its claw to slash or pierce its victims. These claws were probably encased in keratin, however. This would have given a sharp edge, but the claws were not retractable and not easily sharpened. A sharp edge would have been difficult to maintain, making it hard to completely pierce the flesh of a rival.

Those who have seen Jurassic Park know velociraptors were smart. This assumption is based on the velociraptor's large brain size in comparison to the size of its body. All dromaeosaurid dinosaurs (the category of dinosaur velociraptors fall into) had large brains.

Viewers of Jurassic Park shouldn't be mistaken by thinking velociraptors lived in the Jurassic period, however. They lived 85 to 80 million years ago in the Cretaceous period. Dinosaurs like the protoceratops and gallimimus lived in the same era.

Velociraptors lived in desert environments - very hot and dry climates, with a few possible streams.

These dinosaurs intelligence probably made them excellent hunters. Hunting in packs may have been one of their tactics, allowing them to tag large prey.

Like other carnivores, velociraptors may have eaten whatever they could have caught. They were probably not picky eaters. It is believed they may have eaten protoceratops - a fossil of each dinosaur were found together, posed as if they had died in battle).

Velociraptors had the ability to move fast because of their relative light weight and long legs. It has been estimated that they could sprint at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. They may also have been good jumpers.

H.F. Osborn, a paleontologist, found the first velociraptor fossil in Mongolia in the year 1924. Fossils of these dinosaurs have been located in Russia, China and Mongolia. The name velociraptor is comprised of two Latin words: 'velox', meaning 'swift', and 'raptor', meaning 'robber' or 'plunderer'. The species name is V. mongoliensis, coined by Osborn in honor of the dinosaur's country of origin.

Sources:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinos/Velociraptor.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velociraptor