Prehistoric life
Dromaeosaurs - also called raptors - were carnivorous dinosaurs closely related to birds. Several fossils have been found with evidence of feathers, and many scientists believe that the whole group had an insulating covering of feathers. All dromaeosaurs have a large, sickle-shaped claw on each hind foot, which helped them climb. Small species probably climbed trees, but there is speculation that larger ones used their claws to cling on to prey and as weapons. Dromaeosaur species ranged from about 1.5 to 9 metres long.
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Raptor remains
Fossils shed light on the hunting techniques of carnivorous dinosaurs.
Fossils shed light on the hunting techniques of carnivorous dinosaurs.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Discover the other animals and plants that lived during the following geological time periods.
Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinctionCraniata
Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small- to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus (δρομευς) meaning 'runner' and sauros (σαυρος) meaning 'lizard'. In informal usage they are often called raptors (after Velociraptor), a term popularized by the film Jurassic Park; a few types include the term "raptor" directly in their name and have come to emphasize their supposed bird-like habits.
Dromaeosaurid fossils have been found in North America, Europe, Africa, Japan, China, Mongolia, Madagascar, Argentina, and Antarctica. They first appeared in the mid-Jurassic Period (late Bathonian stage, about 164 million years ago) and survived until the end of the Cretaceous (Maastrichtian stage, 65.5 ma), existing for over 100 million years, up until the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The presence of dromaeosaurs as early as the Middle Jurassic has been confirmed by the discovery of isolated fossil teeth, though no dromaeosaurid body fossils have been found from this period.
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Utahraptor
Velociraptors
Microraptor
Sinornithosaurus
Carnivorous
Egg layer
Pack-hunter
Predator
Social
Adapted to running
Scavenger
