Velociraptor

Velociraptor was a small predatory dromaeosaurid theropod that lived in arid environments across central Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch. Famous from dramatic discoveries like the Fighting Dinosaurs fossil preserved locked in combat with a Protoceratops, it was roughly the size of a turkey or small dog, vastly smaller than its pop culture depictions. It possessed a long, low skull with an upturned snout and recurved, serrated teeth. Like other dromaeosaurs, each second toe bore a specialised, highly curved sickle claw kept raised off the ground while walking. Bony rods stiffened its tail, providing balance during fast manoeuvres. Direct fossil evidence in the form of quill knobs on the arm bones confirms it was fully feathered, using its plumaged forearms for display or balance rather than flight.

Quill knobs discovered on an ulna confirm that it possessed fully developed feathers along its forearms.

Where and when

Velociraptor lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 75 to 71 million years ago (Campanian age). Its remains come from Mongolia and China, in the Djadokhta Formation.

The numbers

Length 2 m (estimates run from 1.8 to 2.1 m). Mass about 17 kg. Hip height about 0.5 m. That is 1.2 human-lengths, or 0.18 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from near-complete skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

Compare Velociraptor with a bus Place on the timeline