You’ve likely already heard of the dinosaur that was named the ‘Speedy Thief’, known to be more intelligent than it’s peers. The Velociraptor, which was a type dromaeosaurid dinosaur, was thrown into the limelight with the arrival of the Jurassic Park movies, but there are many misconceptions that need to be addressed.
Read on to find out more!
1. Velociraptor, pronounced as ‘vell-os-eeraptor’ is considered to be a bird-like dinosaur.
The name comes from two Latin words, meaning “speed” and “robber”.
2. Known to be a formidable predator, Velociraptors were small and quick with a large brain that contributed towards agility.
However, it is believed that their IQ is greatly exaggerated. While their brain is big comparative to their body, it’s likely they had the same smartness as a bird of prey such as a hawk. They aren’t as clever as they were made out to be in the Jurassic Park films.
3. Velociraptors roamed the earth during the end of the Cretaceous period.
This was roughly 71 million years ago, and they thrived in hot, desert-like regions.
4. A fully-grown Velociraptor could weigh up to 15kg (33lb) and grow up to 2m(6.6ft) in length.
They were around 0.5m(1.6ft) in height at the hip, which is bigger than the size of the common chimpanzee. They were not as big as they were depicted in the Jurassic Park films.
5. Velociraptors had four claws on each foot, with a sickle-shaped talon on the second toe of each foot.
These were used as hooks to keep their prey from escaping. Velociraptors used their claws as razor-sharp weapons to kill their prey, and their tails were made up of hard fused bones, which most likely kept it balanced as it ran, hunted and jumped.
6. Velociraptors were bipedal, meaning they walked on two legs.
They could run almost 40 miles per hour (64km per hour) for short distances. This is much faster than humans can run, but a little slower than a greyhound dog running at top speed.
7. The Velociraptor looked like a bird, and had feathers too.
Palaeontologists discovered quill knobs – places where flight-related feathers of birds are anchored to the bone, on a well-preserved Velociraptor forearm from Mongolia in 2007, indicating that Velociraptors had feathers and were warm-blooded. A special bone in its wrist, allowed it to swivel sideways in a flapping motion and fold its arm against its body like a bird. This is an important part of the flight stroke in modern birds.
8. The first Velociraptor fossil was found in August 1923 by Peter Kaisen.
This was during the first American Museum of Natural History expedition to the Outer Mongolian Gobi Desert. Henry Field Osborne, who was the then president of the American Museum of Natural History, incidentally, named the dinosaur Velociraptor. He bestowed this name on the dinosaur from the Latin words “Velox” (swift) and “raptor” (robber), as an apt description of its agility and carnivorous diet.
9. The most famous fossil discovered comprises of a Velociraptor fighting a Protoceratops.
The Protoceratops is a smaller plant-eating dinosaur, about the size of a large sheep. The fossil shows the Velociraptor and protoceratops locked in a fierce battle, before they were suddenly buried beneath a landslide. The Velociraptor has its iconic foot claw driven deep into the neck of the Protoceratops, but the Protoceratops is no pushover, and has clamped down on the arm of the fearsome predator.
10. Specimens from two species have been found in Mongolia – namely, Velociraptor mongoliensis and Velociraptor osmolskae.
Velociraptors belong to the Dromaeosaurid family which includes other small bird-like dinosaur species.
11. Velociraptors were considered to be dinosaurs with large brains when compared to species of the same size, which hints at a superior intelligence.
They were probably a bit smarter than rabbits but not quite as smart as cats and dogs. There is evidence that Velociraptors moved together, indicating group hunting, which requires a certain level of intelligence.
12. Velociraptors had a relatively large skull, which was about 9.1 inches (23cm) long, concave on the upper surface and convex on the lower surface.
Additionally, its snout was long, narrow and shallow, and made up about 60 percent of the dinosaur’s entire skull length.
13. Velociraptors had 13 to 15 teeth in its upper jaw and 14 to 15 teeth in its lower jaw.
Its teeth were widely spaced and serrated, though more strongly on the back edge than the front. They had teeth which were sharp like pointy knives and special four-inched curved claws, that were used to stab and slash their food.
14. Velociraptors were carnivores (meat eaters) and would usually scavenge kills by larger dinosaurs, or hunt by themselves.
Much of their time was spent eating smaller animals such as reptiles, amphibians, insects, small dinosaurs and mammals. Nimble and small, its speed would have been an added advantage.
15. The Velociraptor plays a substantial role in the Jurassic Park films, but they are depicted very inaccurately.
The Velociraptor was displayed as larger, human-sized dinosaurs but in reality, they were the size of a turkey. They also had feathers, that were not portrayed in the movie.
16. At the end of the Cretaceous period, Velociraptors were wiped out along with all of the other dinosaurs.
This was known as the K-T Extinction event, believed to have been caused by an asteroid strike. Over seventy-five percent of all Earth’s species became extinct during this time.
17. The Velociraptor is the mascot of the NBA team, the Toronto Raptors.
The mascot is simply known as ‘The Raptor’.
Velociraptor Fact-File
| Type | Small Theropod |
| Length | 1.8 metres |
| Weight | 74 kilograms |
| Diet | Carnivore (meat eater!) |
| Teeth | Lots of small, sharp and pointy teeth! |
| Movement | Bipedal (walked on two legs) |
| Lived | Late Cretaceous period, around 74-71million years ago |
| Found in | Mongolia, East Asia |
Velociraptor FAQs
How high can a Velociraptor jump?
Scientists believe that Velociraptors were able to jump up to 3 meters in height (10 feet).
What are Velociraptors known for?
Many believe that Velociraptors are highly intelligent, as depicted in the Jurassic Park films. While their brain was large in comparative to the rest of their body, it’s likely they were as intelligent as a cat or bird of prey.
How big was the Velociraptor?
The Velociraptor was around the size of a turkey. This is much smaller than how they were portrayed in the Jurassic Park films.
How fast was the Velociraptor?
The Velociraptor could run almost 40 miles per hour (64km per hour) for short distances. This is much faster than humans can run, but a little slower than a greyhound dog running at top speed.
What did the Velociraptor eat?
The Velociraptor was a carnivore, meaning it ate meat. They hunted smaller animals such as reptiles, amphibians, insects, small dinosaurs and mammals. There is also a famous fossil of a Velociraptor fighting a Protoceratops, so we know for sure that was also part of their diet.