Velociraptor - "Swift Thief"
They were part of the Late Cretaceous period.
They inhabited what is now Mongolia-China
border.
The Cretaceous Period
‘Creta’ is the latin word for chalk; the cretaceous period is named for the chalky rock.
The Cretaceous is defined as the period
between 125.5 and 65.5 million years ago, following the Jurassic Period.
The Cretaceous was a period with warm
climate. The Cretaceous ended with a large mass extinction, it was usually
noted for being the last of the “Age of Dinosaurs”
At the end of the period, oceans filled
filling gaps between isolated islands as they are what they are now, flowering
plants were spreading across the landscape.
The climate was warmer and humid then
today, probably because of very active volcanoes.
Sea level was higher during
that period. In general, early Cretaceous’ ocean was about 100 – 200 metres,
and near the time it was ending, the ocean rose to about 200 – 250 metres.
The
environment evolved to the point that flowering plants began to appear for the
first time. The cause of the period coming to an extinction was thought
to be an asteroid impact, but there are a lot more theories like active
volcanoes, climate changes and diseases.
Hunting and Skull Information
The velociraptor was an agile hunter. Using its sharp claw as
its primary weapon, used to slash its prey.
This dinosaur has an average sense
of sight, an excellent sense of smell and an average sense of hearing. The velociraptor lived in a jungle with other dinosaurs and small
mammals.
Their skull was attached to the neck at a highly mobile joint that
allowed rapid and precise head movements which is proof that they were visual
hunters. All dinosaurs also had middle-ear bones which were thin and fragile
for picking up higher frequencies; like a bird.
The dinosaur’s ear was like a
crocodiles, and today, crocodiles have the most sensitive hearing of any
reptile.
The Velociraptor like other predators have binocular vision,
which allows them to see three dimensionally while hunting and capturing prey.
Body
The velociraptor stood upright on two legs, with hind legs close to its
body.
They had a flexible tail which was probably stiff. It was capable of
moving at high speeds, probably from 40-60km/hr at top speed.
They had fairly hollow bones which increased the strength of the bones.
It is about 2 metres in length and 1.8 metres in height
Velociraptor’s skull and the large olfactory lobes, suggests that the
dinosaur's snout was highly sensitive to touch and smells.
Diet
The Velociraptor was a carnivore - meaning it only ate meat.
It had around 15 widely spaced teeth on each side of its jaw which allowed them to slash through their prey.
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The velociraptor became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period due to an asteroid strike. |