Velociraptor was a mid-sized dromaeosaurid. Adults were up to 2 meters long, 0.5 meters high at the hip. They weighed up to 15 kilograms. Velociraptor was small for its family.
It had a long, stiffened tail. Its skull was long and low with an upturned snout. Velociraptor bore a relatively large, sickle-shaped claw on each foot, typical for its family.
Velociraptor was about the size of a turkey. It was much smaller than the 2 meter tall, 80 kilogram reptiles seen in films. Those were based on the related genus Deinonychus.
Velociraptor would have used its claws to pin down prey while eating or killing. The claw was not for disemboweling or climbing onto prey.
The average human is about 1.7 meters tall. Humans outweigh velociraptors. But velociraptors were more agile.
In a fight a human could likely kill a velociraptor with a strong kick. The velociraptor claw could still inflict serious injury. It likely could not kill an adult human alone. But the injuries it inflicted might be lethal over time.
Some raptors, like Utahraptor, grew over 6 meters long. That is much larger than Velociraptor.
How tall was the Velociraptor in real life?
Velociraptor was no bigger than a wolf. With its feathers it looked very bird-like. Adult velociraptors grew up to 2 meters long and 0.5 meters tall at the hip. They weighed up to 15 kilograms.
In films velociraptors were depicted as being around six feet tall. But in real life they were the size of a turkey. Velociraptors had hollow bones like birds. Their main weapon was their sharp claws to slash through flesh and bone.
Although velociraptors had wing-like arms, they could not fly. Fossils show they did not have the shape needed to flap wings and get an animal of its size off the ground.
In the Jurassic Park films the modeled “velociraptor” after a larger dinosaur called deinonychus. Deinonychus grew up to two meters tall and 80 kilograms. That is why velociraptors in films seem so big.
Velociraptor fossils have been found mainly in Mongolia and China. The name velociraptor is Latin for “swift robber”. And the name refers to how the dinosaur looked like a fast predator.
What did Velociraptors actually look like?
Velociraptor was actually feathered animals. Real velociraptors stood no taller than a wild turkey. They possessed the same foot claws and pack behavior as their bigger cousins. Fossil evidence shows that real velociraptors had rows of bumps running down their arms, identical to the anchor points on birds with big wings. Did they fly? Hell no.
Velociraptor was warm-blooded to some degree. Feathery or furry coats tend to be warm-blooded. However, bone growth rates suggest a more moderate metabolism.
The Velociraptor in the film was more like Deinonychus. Deinonychus was larger but in the same dromaeosaur family as Velociraptor. Other aspects of the film’s portrayal were misleading too. But the real Velociraptor is more interesting than what any screenwriter could dream up.
Velociraptor lived 75 to 71 million years ago. Two species are recognized currently. Humans could easily kill a lone velociraptor. However, raptors could still do serious damage, cleaving into flesh with killer claws.
The skull was relatively large and long. Jaws were provided with 26-28 widely spaced and prominently serrated teeth. Some features were two large hand-like appendages with three curved claws each. The second toe had a sickle-shaped and sharp talon used to keep prey from escaping.
We don’t actually know exactly what dinosaurs looked like. No packs of fossilised Velociraptor remains have been found. They are always solitary. The pack hunting idea is less far-fetched for Deinonychus and Utah Raptors. They would have had to hunt in packs to bring down larger prey.
In reality, Velociraptors had feathers and were turkey sized. While vicious in movies, they were much smaller, less intelligent, and resembled a bird more than a reptile. There would have been several larger predators which actively hunted velociraptors.
Was Velociraptor bigger than T-Rex?
The T-Rex was significantly larger and stronger than the Velociraptor. T-Rex could grow up to 40 feet long and weigh around 9 tons. Velociraptors were much smaller, about 6.8 feet long and weighing 33-43 pounds. This size difference gave the T-Rex advantage in terms of strength and power.
Velociraptors were faster, capable of reaching speeds up to 24 mph, while the T-Rex could only reach speeds of 17 mph. This speed advantage might allow the Velociraptor to evade or even outmaneuver a T-Rex in a battle. However, the T-Rex’s sheer size and weight give it a significant advantage in terms of raw strength, as it weighed between 9.9 and 15.1 US tons while the Velociraptor weighed only 33 to 43 pounds.
There are significant differences between them. Most obviously size with T-Rex weighing up to 16,000 lbs and Velociraptor only 100 lbs. However, speed, location, pack hunting, feather covering and prey were all differences between the two. We take a look in more detail at some of these differences, and similarities, in the article below and take a quick look at who would win in a fight between a T-Rex and Velociraptor, although the answer should not come as a surprise.