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Velociraptor

Say it: vel-OSS-ee-rap-tor

Name means: “quick plunderer”1

Ate: MeatRaptorsLate Cretaceous

Velociraptor was a small, fast dinosaur that used a huge sickle-shaped claw on each foot to hunt. It lived in the late Cretaceous period, about 74 to 70 million years ago, in what is now Mongolia. Despite what you see in movies, real Velociraptor was only about the size of a turkey and probably had feathers.1 2

Lived

90 to 66 million years ago7

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Mongolia, China, Canada (Alberta), and Kazakhstan7 1

Food

Meat1 7

Length

1.8 m1 2

Weight

7 kg to 45 kg1 2

Height

0.5 to 1 m3 4

hip height; range from Wikipedia (0.5 m at hips) and Italian journal (up to 1 m at hip)

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

hip height; range from Wikipedia (0.5 m at hips) and Italian journal (up to 1 m at hip)

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 11 house cats

as long as 4 house cats nose to tailas long as 10 bananas end to endas heavy as 9 watermelonsup to the handle of a door

How big was Velociraptor compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Velociraptor had a large, sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each foot, which it used to slash at prey.2

The Velociraptor in Jurassic Park movies was made much larger than the real animal and was actually based on a different dinosaur called Deinonychus.1

Velociraptor is now thought to have been covered in fine, feather-like structures, making it look more like a bird than a scaly reptile.1

The largest Velociraptor grew to about 1.8 metres (6 feet) long, which is about the height of an adult man, but weighed only up to 45 kg (100 pounds).2

Velociraptor lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 74 to 70 million years ago, and went extinct before the big asteroid hit Earth.1 2

The name Velociraptor means 'quick plunderer', because it was a fast hunter.1

AI-made picture of Velociraptor — An AI-made picture of how Velociraptor might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Velociraptor

?How big was a Velociraptor?

About 2 metres (6.6 feet) long and weighed around 15 to 20 kilograms (33 to 44 pounds). It was about the size of a large dog.3 5

?Did Velociraptor have feathers?

Yes. Scientists have found quill knobs on a Velociraptor fossil, which proves it had long feathers on its arms. Its body was covered in feathers, like a bird.5 6

?Could Velociraptor fly?

No. Its arms were too short and its wishbone was the wrong shape for flying. The feathers were probably used for display and keeping warm.5 6

?How fast could Velociraptor run?

It could run at speeds up to about 39 km/h (24 miles per hour). Its long legs and light body made it a fast runner.6

?What did Velociraptor eat?

It ate small mammals, reptiles, and possibly baby dinosaurs like young Protoceratops. It was a carnivore that used its claws and teeth to catch prey.5

?When did Velociraptor go extinct?

It died out about 70 million years ago, near the end of the Cretaceous Period. That was before the big asteroid hit Earth.2

?Why did Velociraptor have a sickle claw?

It used the big curved claw on each foot to stab and grip its prey, like an eagle uses its talons. It kept the claw lifted off the ground to stay sharp.5 6

?Is Velociraptor a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a small theropod dinosaur. It is closely related to birds, but it is not a bird.5 3

?How many species of Velociraptor are there?

There are two known species: Velociraptor mongoliensis and Velociraptor osmolskae. Some scientists think there might be a third.5 3

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Myth buster

Myth: Velociraptor was a huge, scaly dinosaur as big as a human.

Truth: Real Velociraptor was only about 1.8 metres long and weighed 7 to 45 kg, and it probably had feathers. The movie version was based on a larger relative, Deinonychus.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Velociraptor
Named by: Osborn 19247
Group: Raptors
Family / clade: Dromaeosauridae7
Classification: Theropoda > Dromaeosauridae7
Age of the rocks: 90 to 66 million years (Coniacian / Maastrichtian)7
Rock formations: Djadokhta, Baruungoyot, Dinosaur Park7
Countries: Mongolia, China, Canada, Kazakhstan7
Fossil records: 20 in the Paleobiology Database7
Discovery: Velociraptor was named by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1924, based on fossils found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia.7 1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly how Velociraptor used its sickle claw, whether for slashing or climbing.2

Where the facts come from

Velociraptor | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Velociraptor | Description, Size, Diet, & Facts | Britannica (britannica.com)
Velociraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
Velociraptor : the state of the art 100 years after the discovery of this iconic dinosaur (italianjournalofgeosciences.it)
Vicious Velociraptor: tales of a turkey-sized dinosaur | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Velociraptor, facts and photos | National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com)
Velociraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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