The most famous
Velociraptor is a dromaeosaurid Τheropod that lived in Mongolia during the late Cretaceous period, 75 – 71 million years ago. It is the best known dinosaur due to its prominent role in the Jurassic Park motion picture series.
It was a medium-sized dinosaur, with adults 2 meter long at most and weighing up to 15 kg. Velociraptor had large “hands” and three strongly curved claws, which were similar in construction and flexibility to the wing bones of modern birds. Paleontologists suggest that it had feathers because its ancestors were feathered and possibly capable of flight. In 2007, researchers found quill knobs (bumps) on the forearm of Velociraptor. This feature in recent birds depicts the point where feathers anchor, thus their presence on Velociraptor indicates that it also had feathers.
