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PHYS 0106 (Spring, 2001) Earth History Timeline |
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| Phanerozoic Eon: Cenozoic Era: Tertiary Period | |||
Timeline Links Phanerozoic Neoproterozoic Mesoproterozoic Paleoproterozoic Archean Other Links Historical Geology Page Physical Geology Page Mike's Home Page |
Writer/Researcher: John Lanata Editor: Jess Landi Web Page Builder: John Lanata The Velociraptor lived about 85-80 million years ago during the late Cretaceous Period. The velociraptor lived in a hot, dry enviroment. The dinosaur would have lived in a desert like place with some streams for a water source. The brain of this dinosaur was huge in comparison to its body size, making it a very intelligent creature. These types of dinosaurs were carnivores, or meat-eaters. It has been thought that they hunted in packs and not alone. Many scientist believe that the velociraptor probablly ate anything that it could slash at or tear apart. It most likely attacked dinosaurs that were plant-eaters and not other meat-eaters. The velociraptor was a very fast-running, two legged dinosaur. This meat-eater had about 80 extremely sharp teeth in a long, flat snout. Some of its teeth were over an inch long. The head was about seven inches long. The velociraptor was a predator that had a S-shape neck, arms with three-fingered clawed hands, two long thin legs, and four-toed clawed feet. The Velociraptor was about five to six feet long in length and about three feet tall. It possibly weighed around 15 to 33 pounds. The dinosaur had a stiff tail that worked as a counterbalance and let it make very quick turns. It was also an extraordinary fast short burst runner, reaching speeds up to 40 mile per hour (mph). It was able to run fast because of its wieght and its skinny, but powerful legs. These powerful legs also provided the dinosaur with jumping capabilities. The first paleontologist that found a fossil of a velociraptor was H.F. Osborn in Mongolia in 1924. Since then, there have been almost a dozen fossils found. The main areas where the fossils are found in today's world is China, Mongolia, and Russia. |