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Velociraptor

Dinosaur profile

Velociraptor

Velociraptor mongoliensis

CarnivoreLate CretaceousSmall Theropod

Pronunciation

vel-OSS-ee-rap-tor

Meaning

quick plunderer

Type

Small Theropod

Length

1.8m

Period

Late Cretaceous

Years

84 - 80 million years ago

Location

Mongolia

Diet

Carnivore

About Velociraptor

Velociraptor is a small, bird-like dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 75-71 million years ago. It was a member of the dromaeosaurid family, which also includes the well-known dinosaur Deinonychus. Velociraptor was about the size of a turkey, with long, slender legs and a long tail. It had a relatively small head with large, curved teeth that it used to tear into prey. Velociraptor had a sickle-shaped claw on each of its hind feet, which it likely used to grasp and kill prey. It may have hunted small dinosaurs and other animals, and may have been a pack hunter. Velociraptor is known from fossil specimens found in Asia, including Mongolia and China.

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