Post by Barry the Baryonyx on Jun 24, 2007 18:30:01 GMT -5
Velociraptor mongoliensis
Genus of clawed theropod dinosaur (family Dromaeosauridae) that flourished in central and eastern Asia during the Late Cretaceous Epoch (99–65 million years ago). It was related to an Early Cretaceous (144–99 million years ago) North American genus, Deinonychus. Both genera had a sickle-shaped claw on each foot and ossified tendon reinforcements in the tail that enabled them to keep their balance while striking and slashing at prey. Swift, agile predators of small herbivores, they grew up to 6 ft (1.8 m) long and weighed up to 100 lb (45 kg).
Velociraptor (vəlŏs'ĭrăp'tər) [Gr.,=swift robber], swift bipedal carnivorous dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period. It was relatively small, being approximately 6 ft (1.8 m) long. It was similar to Deinonychus in appearance and, like that dinosaur, had a lethal sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each three-toed foot, which was used for attacking prey. Fossil skeletons have been found in Mongolia. A find of particular interest, discovered in the Gobi desert in 1971, revealed a Velociraptor in the act of attacking another dinosaur, the herbivorous Protoceratops. Velociraptor belongs to the group of saurischian theropods [Gr.,=beast feet] that includes Tyrannosaurus, Deinonychus, and living birds.
Popularized by the movie Jurassic Park in 1993, the Velociraptor stood between six and 12 feet tall, allowing it to hunt man-sized prey very easily and was one of the most feared species of dinosaurs. Though hiding in a cave may seem like a good "escape plan" in evading most dinosaurs such as the T-Rex, the Raptors could easily follow into nearly any structure.
Vicious pack hunters, the Raptors' abnormally large brain capacity gave them problem-solving abilities and rudimentary thinking skills, enabling them to form a social order or even to execute attack plans for hunting prey. Michael Crichton's book Jurassic Park (on which the movie was based) shows them tempting prey with one visible Raptor while two others circle around to take it by surprise from both sides. Not only were they vicious and moderately intelligent, they were also extremely fast, capable of speeds approaching 40 miles per hour. And their powerful legs allowed them to jump roughly 30 feet off the ground. This skill was most effectively used to attack large prey like Stegosaurs and possibly even Brachiosaurs.
Accompanying their powerful bodies and intelligent brains, the Raptors came equipped with human-like arms rarely seen in other dinosaur species. The long arms were jointed at the elbow and had three long fingers with sharp claws on the ends. Despite these powerful appendages that could have grabbed and latched onto prey, their main attack came from the legs. Backed up by powerful muscles, the Raptors had a long, curved toe claw on the middle toe of each foot that was retractable and controlled by a set of tendons. The claws on the average Raptor were about seven inches long and very sharp. When attacking large prey, the Raptors would run and jump, using their toe claw to slice down the belly of the animal, spilling its internal organs within a few seconds' time. The average gash made in an animal was at least 10 feet long.
Needless to say, running into one of these creatures is probably not good for the health.
Genus of clawed theropod dinosaur (family Dromaeosauridae) that flourished in central and eastern Asia during the Late Cretaceous Epoch (99–65 million years ago). It was related to an Early Cretaceous (144–99 million years ago) North American genus, Deinonychus. Both genera had a sickle-shaped claw on each foot and ossified tendon reinforcements in the tail that enabled them to keep their balance while striking and slashing at prey. Swift, agile predators of small herbivores, they grew up to 6 ft (1.8 m) long and weighed up to 100 lb (45 kg).
Velociraptor (vəlŏs'ĭrăp'tər) [Gr.,=swift robber], swift bipedal carnivorous dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period. It was relatively small, being approximately 6 ft (1.8 m) long. It was similar to Deinonychus in appearance and, like that dinosaur, had a lethal sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each three-toed foot, which was used for attacking prey. Fossil skeletons have been found in Mongolia. A find of particular interest, discovered in the Gobi desert in 1971, revealed a Velociraptor in the act of attacking another dinosaur, the herbivorous Protoceratops. Velociraptor belongs to the group of saurischian theropods [Gr.,=beast feet] that includes Tyrannosaurus, Deinonychus, and living birds.
Popularized by the movie Jurassic Park in 1993, the Velociraptor stood between six and 12 feet tall, allowing it to hunt man-sized prey very easily and was one of the most feared species of dinosaurs. Though hiding in a cave may seem like a good "escape plan" in evading most dinosaurs such as the T-Rex, the Raptors could easily follow into nearly any structure.
Vicious pack hunters, the Raptors' abnormally large brain capacity gave them problem-solving abilities and rudimentary thinking skills, enabling them to form a social order or even to execute attack plans for hunting prey. Michael Crichton's book Jurassic Park (on which the movie was based) shows them tempting prey with one visible Raptor while two others circle around to take it by surprise from both sides. Not only were they vicious and moderately intelligent, they were also extremely fast, capable of speeds approaching 40 miles per hour. And their powerful legs allowed them to jump roughly 30 feet off the ground. This skill was most effectively used to attack large prey like Stegosaurs and possibly even Brachiosaurs.
Accompanying their powerful bodies and intelligent brains, the Raptors came equipped with human-like arms rarely seen in other dinosaur species. The long arms were jointed at the elbow and had three long fingers with sharp claws on the ends. Despite these powerful appendages that could have grabbed and latched onto prey, their main attack came from the legs. Backed up by powerful muscles, the Raptors had a long, curved toe claw on the middle toe of each foot that was retractable and controlled by a set of tendons. The claws on the average Raptor were about seven inches long and very sharp. When attacking large prey, the Raptors would run and jump, using their toe claw to slice down the belly of the animal, spilling its internal organs within a few seconds' time. The average gash made in an animal was at least 10 feet long.
Needless to say, running into one of these creatures is probably not good for the health.
Is it just us?