Fossil Fact- Special!!!! (Unofficial)

Upon hearing that there is a supposed special holiday for the dromaeosaur (or…”raptor”) Velociraptor mongoliensis, I felt it should be best recognized by a Fossil Fact! However, before I begin, I feel I must explain what a Fossil Fact is before I proceed. The “Fossil Facts” are a series of posts written by me based off of the well-known and well-thought out, as well as researched “Palaeo Facts” by our friend, Traumador the T. rex over at the popular blog: The Tyrannosaur Chronicles by the Amateur Paleo Theatre Troup, originating from Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, Prehistoric Insanity. The main difference is I put my own format into them so as to avoid copyright issues as “Paleo Fact” was going to be the original name. Anywho, those who have read my blog know of this series of posts of which I am known for on the blogosphere. However, unlike the name suggests it isn’t about individual fossil specimens, I cover a variety of aspects in the science of Paleontology. I cover everything from taxa, to time periods and eras, evolution and ecology. It’s worth checking out, and if you want to get a taste of what I post since I haven’t done a Fossil Fact in awhile so this is over due, and I will be posting the eighth soon, you can do so on my blog.  Anywho, now let you know what a Fossil Fact is, let’s begin with this one on one of my favorite “raptors,” and, possibly the most famous thanks to Jurassic Park, Velociraptor mongoliensis.

Velociraptor- Small, Smart, and Deadly:

Velociraptor is genus of small coelurosaurian theropod belonging to the family Dromaeosauridae (or the “Raptors,” as some of you aren’t familiar with technical vocabulary.) It lived in the Gobi Desert of, what is now, Mongolia around 80-65 million years ago. So far it has only one species assigned to it, “mongoliensis.” Velociraptors tended to be pretty advanced for their time and had powerful senses, though it is  not uncommon for these to be exaggerrated in the popular films and documentaries (Jurassic Park being a prime example.). In reality, these animals wouldn’t attack unless provoked, hungry, agitated, or scared. These animals are riddled with misconceptions.

PaleoBiology:

Like all Dromaeosaurs, V. mongoliensis was built much like a bird. It’s bones were hollow, yet strong, muscle attachments on it’s for limbs and hind limbs allowed for fast and powerful motion. Bony rods stiffened the tail to give it a great ability to change direction thanks to the counterbalance granted by the stiff tail. An examination of the brain reveals fantastic eyesight and sense of smell, as well as hearing. Recently, a discovery by Dr. Mike Norell, of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, that Velociraptors seemed to have feathers on it’s fore-limbs thanks to the strange knobs in the fore-limb of the animal. 

Of course, like most members of the Dromaeosauridae, this theropod had the “Killing Claw” on the middle toe of each foot that….should need know explanation as to the function. The teeth in it’s powerful jaws were recurved, blade-like, and had serrations on either side of the tooth. This was truly an animal to be reckoned with.

Contrary to popular belief, thanks to Jurassic Park, the Velociraptor  was, in reality, only about 3 feet tall (~1m) and about 6 feet long (~2m), and NOT 6 feet tall as depicted in Jurassic Park.

Thorugh the eyes of the Public:

Velociraptors first made their true hollywood appearance in the Jurassic Park films and the books by Michael Crichton, with the look of Deinonychus anhtirropus, which was used for the role of a 2 meter tall “Velociraptor” in the novels. In fact, it’s rumored that Spielberg accidentally created a Utahraptor, as this theropod was discovered and described by Vertebrate Paleontologist Robert T. Bakker, Ph.D and his team the date of the film’s release.

Velociraptor was also featured in the Discovery Channel Mini series  Dinosaur Planet, narrated by Christian Slater.