0.6" Raptor Theropod Fossil Bone Cretaceous Dinosaur Judith River FM MT COA Display
Location: Judith River Formation, Montana (Private Land Origin)
Weight: 0.3 Ounces
Dimensions: 0.6 Inches Long, 0.5 Inches Wide, 0.4 Inches Thick
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Cretaceous Age 100.5 - 66 million years old.
Raptors were carnivorous dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous Period—about 100.5 to 66 million years ago. This species was first discovered by Peter Kaisen in the Gobi Desert on August 11, 1923. A year later, it was named Velociraptor. This name combines the Latin word “Velox,” meaning swift, and the Latin word “Raptor,” which means thief or robber.
Popular cinema has substantially distorted our understanding of these remarkable theropods. The Velociraptors immortalized in blockbuster films were actually modeled after the larger Deinonychus species, bearing scant resemblance to authentic fossil evidence. Paleontological research reveals a markedly different creature: a feathered, turkey-proportioned predator weighing merely 30 pounds and standing just above 3 feet tall. The cinematic interpretation as towering, scaled reptiles fundamentally misrepresents the biological reality of these Cretaceous hunters, whose true dimensions and plumage-covered anatomy paint a far more nuanced picture of theropod evolution.
Another interesting fact about this dinosaur is that it was likely not as fast as portrayed in the Jurassic Park films. Most scientists estimate that Velociraptor could run at a top speed of around 40 miles per hour, which is slower than a cheetah (60 mph) or a lion (50 mph), but still faster than a human at top speed (about 28 mph).
Recent research suggests that Velociraptor was both a hunter and a scavenger. Its diet likely included small reptiles, mammals, insects, and smaller dinosaurs. Although movies often depict it as an aggressive pack hunter, in reality, it may have relied more on scavenging than on active pursuit of prey.
