"Some of the teeth were over an inch long, which made them very effective for tearing the flesh of it’s prey. Capable of running up to roughly 40 mph in short bursts, velociraptor was one of the fastest dinosaurs during the cretaceous time period. Velociraptors main weapon was an enormous killing claw located on the middle toe of each foot. Each of these retractable claws was 3.5 inches long and was used to slash into prey, such as helpless plant eaters
Intelligence
To determine an animals intelligence, often the "EQ" measure is used, Encephalization Quotient which is the ratio of the brain weight of the animal to the brain weight of a "typical" animal of the same body weight. The EQ measurement of the Velociraptor was 5.8 %, making it the most intelligent of the dinosaurs. However an EQ of 5.8% is the same as an Ostrich!
Hunting
"The bird-like dinosaur was believed to have hunted in packs of any number and preyed upon other dinosaurs such as protoceratops. One of the most famous fossils of velociraptor was of one locked in battle with one of its prey. The velociraptor had one claw in the mouth and the other on the side of a protoceratops. The two combatants were somehow instantly buried and permanently fossilized for 80 million years, possibly by a collapsing sand dune or an instantaneous sandstorm (Stenger, Richard).
Disemboweller?
There was a very good BBC documentary - "The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs" how the claws were used.
"Velociraptor could be described as the scariest dinosaur in the world. Armed with huge disembowelling claws, as sharp as steak knives, it guts its prey with a single sweep of its powerful legs. At least, that's what seems to happen in Steven Spielberg's movies. But what are the facts?
Continuing his quest to find out the truth, Bill Oddie tracks down the real raptor to find out if it had feathers. Not only did the two-legged flesh-eater look more like a bird than a lizard, but Velociraptor nailed its victims with a far deadlier strike than a slash to the stomach." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life....ogrammes1.shtml
Anyway they tested the claws and their 'slashing' abilities. "The "Fighting Dinosaurs" specimen, found in 1971, preserves a Velociraptor and Protoceratops in combat and provides direct evidence of predatory behavior. When originally reported, it was hypothesized that the two animals drowned.[8] However, taking into account the fact that the animals were preserved in ancient sand dune deposits, it is now thought that the animals were buried in sand, either from a collapsing dune or while trapped in a sandstorm. Burial must have been extremely fast, judging from the lifelike poses in which the animals were preserved. Both forelimbs and one hindlimb of the Protoceratops are missing, which has been seen as evidence of scavenging by other animals.[23]
The distinctive claw, on the second digit of dromaeosaurids, has traditionally been depicted as a slashing weapon; its assumed use being to cut and disembowel prey.[24] In the "Fighting Dinosaurs" specimen, the Velociraptor lies underneath, with one of its sickle claws apparently embedded in the throat of its prey, while the beak of Protoceratops is clamped down upon the right forelimb of its attacker. This suggests Velociraptor may have used its sickle claw for precision killing by piercing vital organs such as the jugular vein, carotid artery, or trachea (windpipe) rather than slashing the abdomen. The inside edge of the claw was rounded and not at all sharp, which may have precluded any sort of cutting or slashing action, although only the bony core of the claw is known, so the keratin sheath may have had a sharper edge. However, it is unlikely that any sharp edge could be maintained, as the claw was not retractable for its protection, nor could it easily be sharpened by scraping against other objects, as seen in cats. The thick abdominal wall of skin and muscle would have been difficult to slash with such a dull cutting surface.[23] The slashing hypothesis was tested during a 2005 BBC documentary, The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs. The producers of the program created an artificial Velociraptor leg with a sickle claw and used a pork belly to simulate the dinosaur's prey. The sickle claw did not fully penetrate the abdominal wall, indicating that the claw was not used to disembowel prey."
Amazing animal there. I remeber reading a book where both animals died together rolling down a clift
Yes I saw a documentary recently about Velociraptors and they showed the fossils. I think this is what you must have read about -
""The "Fighting Dinosaurs" specimen, found in 1971, preserves a Velociraptor and Protoceratops in combat and provides direct evidence of predatory behavior. When originally reported, it was hypothesized that the two animals drowned.[8] However, taking into account the fact that the animals were preserved in ancient sand dune deposits, it is now thought that the animals were buried in sand, either from a collapsing dune or while trapped in a sandstorm. Burial must have been extremely fast, judging from the lifelike poses in which the animals were preserved. Both forelimbs and one hindlimb of the Protoceratops are missing, which has been seen as evidence of scavenging by other animals.[23]"
Dasyuromorphia (Australian Carnivorous Marsupials) Tasmanian Devil
Kairav26 Heterotrophic Organism Forum Member No. 79 member is offline
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 162 Location: India, United States
Re: Velociraptor Mongoliensis « Reply #3 on Jun 24, 2007, 3:05am »
Velociraptors had a body structure like modern day birds of prey. Veloci means fast. These animals were fast and ruthless killers. Cornering their prey and attacking it in groups lead to their mean reputation. Apart from that, they are believed to be the smartest dinosaurs to have walked on earth.
Tiny bumps on the fossilized arm bone of a Velociraptor specimen show that the carnivorous dinosaur—made infamous in the movie "Jurassic Park"—had feathers.
The finding, detailed in the Sept. 21 issue of the journal Science, confirms what scientists have long suspected about the creature as fossils of some of its close relatives bear imprints of feathers.
The researchers believe the bumps on the arm bone are remnants of quill knobs, places where the quills of secondary feathers—important for flight in many modern birds—were anchored to the bone.
"Finding quill knobs on Velociraptor means that it definitely had feathers," said study team member Alan Turner, a paleontology graduate student at the American Museum of Natural History and at Columbia University in New York. "This is something we'd long suspected, but no one had been able to prove."
Not for all birds
Quill knobs are most evident in modern birds that are strong flyers, such as falcons and hawks. Birds that have lost the ability to fly or that primarily soar, like broad-winged albatrosses, typically lack quill knobs.
While studying the forearm of a Velociraptor specimen unearthed in Mongolia in 1998, the researchers noticed six regularly spaced indentations in the fossilized bone that appeared remarkably similar to the quill knobs of modern birds.
In modern birds, secondary feathers are connected to the forearm by way of ligaments. When the feathers move, they place stress on the bone. “The bones respond to the tug of the feathers by developing these little bumps,” Turner explained. “The quill knobs are a side effect of how the feathers anchor.”
Velociraptor lived during the late Cretaceous Period about 85 million years ago and belonged to a group of agile, bipedal dinosaurs called Dromaesoaurs that were closely related to birds. It was roughly the size of a turkey and weighed about 30 pounds.
A prehistoric turkey
Despite having feathers, Velociraptor could not fly or even glide, Turner said.
“Even though it had really long arms compared to most carnivorous dinosaurs, they’re not long enough compared to the rest of its body,” Turner told LiveScience.
The researchers suggest that an ancestor of Velociraptor might have lost the ability to fly but retained its feathers anyway. The feathers might also have been used for display, to shield nests, for temperature control or to help the dinosaur maneuver while running.
The new finding is just the latest example of how remarkably alike modern day birds and their closely related dinosaur ancestors were, said study team member Mark Norell, a curator in the AMNH’s Division of Paleontology.
“Both have wishbones, brooded their nests, possess hollow bones and were covered in feathers,” Norell said. "If animals like Velociraptor were alive today our first impression would be that they were just very unusual looking birds."
A Velociraptor forearm fossil (A) shows signs that the nonavian dinosaur could have had feathers, as indicated by arrows pointing to six evenly spaced feather quill knobs (B). The right ulna of a turkey vulture (C) is also shown, revealing its feathers (D) and quill knobs (E and F). Credit: Science
"""The "Fighting Dinosaurs" specimen, found in 1971, preserves a Velociraptor and Protoceratops in combat and provides direct evidence of predatory behavior. When originally reported, it was hypothesized that the two animals drowned.[8] However, taking into account the fact that the animals were preserved in ancient sand dune deposits, it is now thought that the animals were buried in sand, either from a collapsing dune or while trapped in a sandstorm. Burial must have been extremely fast, judging from the lifelike poses in which the animals were preserved. Both forelimbs and one hindlimb of the Protoceratops are missing, which has been seen as evidence of scavenging by other animals.[23]"
Fossil find shows Velociraptor eating another dinosaur
By Matt Walker Editor, Earth News Page last updated at 07:09 GMT, Tuesday, 6 April 2010 08:09 UK
An artist's impression of Velociraptor scavenging Protoceratops
A predatory Velociraptor has been caught in the act of eating another larger plant-eating dinosaur.
Palaeontologists have uncovered fossil fragments of Velociraptor teeth alongside scarred bones of the large horned herbivore Protoceratops.
The teeth of the predator match marks on the herbivore's bones, suggesting Velociraptor scavenged its carcass.
The discovery is further evidence that predatory dinosaurs both hunted and scavenged their plant-eating relatives.
The find also helps validate another famous fossil discovery unearthed in 1971.
Known as the "fighting dinosaurs", that fossil shows a Velociraptor and Protoceratops apparently locked in combat, with both dinosaurs having died at the same time.
Evidence of feeding by theropod dinosaurs, such as Velociraptor or Tyrannosaurus rex, are scarce in the fossil record and the fighting dinosaurs is the most dramatic example known potentially illustrating such behaviour.
Palaeontologists continue to debate the fossil and many still consider it possible that the two animals killed each other - the Velociraptor's raptor-like claw is preserved lodged in the throat region of the much larger Protoceratops, which appears at the same time to be biting down on the predatory dinosaur's right arm.
However, it is also possible that Velociraptor did not regularly eat Protoceratops.
Bite marks on Protoceratops bone
Instead, the fighting dinosaurs could represent a chance encounter between the two species that escalated into a fight.
However, the new fossil discovery, published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, suggests that is less likely.
It provides further evidence that Velociraptor did regularly eat Protoceratops, either by scavenging those that had already died or by actively hunting them.
Dr David Hone of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing made the new discovery in Upper Cretaceous deposits at Bayan Mandahu, in Inner Mongolia, China.
Colleague Dr Jonah Choiniere originally found a mass of badly eroded Protoceratops bones. Among them lay two Velociraptor-like teeth.
Velociraptor teeth match the bite marks
Together with Dr Hone and colleagues Dr Corwin Sullivan and Dr Mike Pittman, Dr Choiniere analysed the fossils for bite marks.
The team found the Protoceratops bones were scarred in this way, and the bite marks matched the teeth found alongside.
The Velociraptor found at the site likely scavenged this particular Protoceratops, rather than hunted it.
"The marks were on and around bits of the jaw," Dr Hone told the BBC.
"Protoceratops probably weighed many times what a Velociraptor did, with lots of muscle to eat. Why scrape away at the jaws, where there's obviously not much muscle, so heavily that you scratch the bone and lose teeth unless there was not much else there.
"In short, this looks like scavenging as the animal would be feeding on the haunches and guts first, not the cheeks.
DINO DISCOVERIES
Dr Hone and colleagues earlier this month announced the discovery of a close relative of the swift, predatory dinosaur Velociraptor Last week they also revealed a fossil "roadrunner dinosaur", one of the smallest and most agile dinosaurs yet known Last year, the oldest dinosaur burrows were found
"The fighting dinosaurs suggests predation. Combine the two and we have good evidence for both behaviours," says Dr Hone.
"Animals like Velociraptor were probably feeding on animals like Protoceratops regularly, probably including both predation and scavenging."
That is in line with the behaviour of many modern predators, as almost all living carnivores such as lions and jackals do both.
"It's a question of degree," says Dr Hone. "Lions mostly predate, jackals mostly scavenge."
In that regard, the new fossil find confirms what many researchers have long suspected about how predatory dinosaurs such as Velociraptor interacted with plant-eating dinosaurs.
"Even the most dedicated predator won't turn down a free meal if they chance across a dead animal with a few bits of meat still attached, and this looks like the case here," says Dr Hone.
Fossils suggest a Velociraptor dinosaur apparently scavenged on the remains of a Protoceratops. The Velociraptor teeth matched the bite marks on the bones of Protoceratops.
For future reference, I recommend using the following pic, which is more scientifically accurate (as indicated most obviously by the Velociraptor's feathers & non-pronated hands).
![[Home]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/menu/home.gif "[Home]")
![[New Topics]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/menu/topics.png "[New Topics]")
![[Help]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/menu/help.gif "[Help]")
![[Search]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/menu/search.gif "[Search]")
![[Login]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/menu/login.gif "[Login]")
![[Register]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/menu/register.gif "[Register]")
![[Search This Thread]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/search2.gif "[Search This Thread]")
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif "[Send Topic To Friend]")
![[Print]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif "[Print]")
Author
![[avatar]](http://www.wherelightmeetsdark.com/images/pagemaster/dev08s2.jpg "[avatar]")
![[image]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/TigerQuoll/dinosaur/Velociraptormongoliensis.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://www.artdinouveau.com/feathered/velociraptor-mongoliensis1.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://www.faculty.mcneese.edu/rrettke/Avian_Velociraptor_02.jpg "[image]")
Logged![[image]](http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/5/24/taz.jpg "[image]")
![[avatar]](http://www.magikbirds.com/pictures/1089-7040601%20Great%20Skua.jpg "[avatar]")
![[image]](http://www.sciam.com/media/inline/36164514-0066-307C-31E2511F74962924_1.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/images/rosalindhook/2005/06/04/panther.jpg "[image]")
Black Panther![[avatar]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/TigerQuoll/forum/lionavatar.jpg "[avatar]"){kind=avatar}
![[msn]](http://s2.images.proboards.com/msn.gif "[msn]")
![[image]](http://images.livescience.com/images/070920_fossil_feather_02.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/TigerQuoll/forum/cougarwatersig.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://www.dino-nakasato.org/image/special97/FightVelo-pht-l.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://www.dino-nakasato.org/image/special97/FightProt-pht-l.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/saurischia/velo_proto.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/TigerQuoll/dinosaur/_47566473_velociraptorprotoceratops.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/TigerQuoll/dinosaur/_47566624_fig2sm.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/TigerQuoll/dinosaur/_47566625_fig2sm.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/TigerQuoll/dinosaur/velociraptor-scavenging-100419-02.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://www.luisrey.ndtilda.co.uk/jpegs/256col/proto10.jpg "[image]")