W B Many of us saw “Jurasic Park”, the movie, and we were petrified when we saw velociraptors, since it’s not every day you see giant lizards that could calmly devour someone from a single bite. However, not everything we have seen is one hundred percent true. Join us to discover and disprove some of the mysteries surrounding these beings.
#10 The reason behind its name
To start talking about this unique species, we have to emphasize its name, which consists of two Latin words that together mean “Quick Thief”; this due to its main attribute that is evidently its speed and its hunting method, which has led many paleontologists to doubt if it was completely carnivorous or a scavenger, which moves us to the next point…
#9 Was it really a hunter?
Although many have identified it as one of the most capable hunters, there have also been theories about whether it actually hunted his prey. As recent studies have shown, there are velociraptor bites in dinosaur fossils that were already in decomposition process; however, this idea is still theoretically given a higher priority in contrast to it being a natural carnivore that fed, mainly, from smaller animals although it sometimes opted for large herbivores, deduced based on a specimen found where a velociraptor fighting a Protoceratops can be seen, reaffirming its position as a predator.
#8 The place where everything started
The first fossils of this species were located in a desert in Mongolia in 1923 where it is said that it could have been their natural habitat, mainly in dense forests surrounded by streams and rivers. Although it has been found in extremely arid areas, it is believed that the ideal environment for velociraptors were wet areas, so it has been determined that the climate and environment of this dinosaur has undergone slight changes and it is not surprising to believe, since these beings walked on earth, more than 70 million years have passed.
#7 Not as big as they seem
As it was reflected on the big screen, velociraptors were great predators; however, their dimensions actually bordered 6.8 feet long and only 1.6 feet high; it basically could exceed the height of the knee of an average adult. The exaggerated dimensions of this dinosaur in movies could have been to show it with a more terrifying aspect, so, effectively, not everything you see in movies may be true.
#6 Sprinters by nature
One of the most outstanding qualities of this prehistoric being is its incredible speed which is said to equal the speed of a race horse. However, countless studies have shown that this is not exactly correct, since in fact its legs allowed running at high speeds, and currently exceed an average adult but not by a large margin. On the other hand, another of the limitations on this quality is that they could only use it for short periods of time.
#5 Lethal weapons
To be a hunter by nature you need the necessary tools and conditions, and this prehistoric animal had them because it had sharp teeth similar to a saw. Although if we talk about its main weapon are its long and distinctively shaped claws, located in its hind legs which would have been used to slice or open the thick skin of its prey to facilitate its access to internal organs. However, it is believed that this claw could have lost edge with the passage of time.
#4 Methodical assassins
This species is believed to have a hunting style quite similar to that of raptors today, since it was mainly based on pouncing on its prey and devouring it alive until the prey eventually died due to blood loss or organ extraction. This employed method was identified because of the great resemblance between velociraptors’ legs and those of the owls today, although this patient style would also resemble the way in which crocodiles catch their prey.
#3 Group hunters
For many years it has been believed that velociraptors hunted in herds in order to depredate even larger animals. However, there is no evidence that this is true, given that all fossils have been found unaccompanied, it is believed that this characteristic is associated to its resemblance to the Deinonychus species, which did comply with this rule; on the contrary, recent studies show that in reality, velociraptors were solitary hunters.
#2 Cinematic confusion
As it has been already mentioned, the movie Jurassic Park does not show the true sizes of velociraptors, but it doesn’t seem to be based on the same species, since it is very likely that what they showed was a Deinonychus dinosaur, who would be a much larger species and even more ferocious than the velociraptor itself. Just to exemplify: this dinosaur species hunted prey that outnumbered it in size and strength; however, it compensated for those shortcomings by hunting in groups.
#1 Very similar to a bird
When the velociraptor is shown in different scenarios, it is always represented as a gigantic reptile; however, this feature isn’t close to the reality of this species, because multiple studies have shown that it was completely covered with feathers, which indicates that in reality, its texture would be that of a slightly larger bird. In spite of having possessed feathers, they didn’t evolve enough to develop flight capabilities.
Did some of this data surprise you? Tell us which ones in the comments below. Do not forget to share.
