Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were mainly small, gracile carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. In informal usage they are often called "raptors" (after Velociraptor), a term popularized by the film Jurassic Park. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus (δρομευς) meaning 'runner' and sauros (σαυρος) meaning 'lizard'. For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Families See text Theropods (beast foot) are a group of bipedal, primarily carnivorous dinosaurs, belonging to the saurischian (lizard-hip) family. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... Carnivorism redirects here. ... // The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... A geologic period is a subdivision of geologic time that divides an era into smaller timeframes. ... The term raptor can refer to: In zoology, a bird of prey. ... Species V. mongoliensis Osborn, 1924 (type) Velociraptor (IPA: ; meaning swift thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 83 to 70 Ma (million years ago) during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. ... Jurassic Park is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. ...

Dromaeosaurids have been found in North America, Europe, North Africa, Japan, China, Mongolia, Madagascar, Argentina, and Antarctica.^[1] They first appeared in the Mid-Jurassic period (Bathonian stage, 167 million years ago) and survived until the end of the Cretaceous (Maastrichtian stage, 65.5 ma), existing for over 100 million years, up until the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event. Jurassic dromaeosaurs are known primarily from teeth.^[2] North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... In the geologic timescale, the Bathonian is the age of the Middle Jurassic epoch of the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era of the Phanerozoic eon that is comprehended between 167 million 700 thousand and 164 million 700 thousand years ago, approximatedly. ... Mega-annum, usually abbreviated as Ma, is a unit of time equal to one million years. ... The Maastrichtian is the last stage of the Cretaceous period, and therefore of the Mesozoic era. ... Badlands near Drumheller, Alberta where erosion has exposed the KT boundary. ...

Characteristics

Dromaeosaurids were small to medium-sized dinosaurs, ranging from about .5 meters in length (2 feet, in the case of Microraptor) to over 6 m (20 ft, in Utahraptor and Achillobator). Like other theropods, they walked on their hind legs. However, the large, curved second toe claw was apparently held retracted, with the third and fourth toes bearing the weight of the animal. The long tail of dromaeosaurids had a flexible base, but most of its length was stiffened by bony tendons. It has been proposed that this tail was used as a stabilizer; in Microraptor gui, the tail ended in a small diamond-shaped fan of feathers which may have been used as an aerodynamic stabilizer and rudder. Species (type) Xu et al, 2003 Microraptor (small thief) is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur known from well-preserved fossil remains recovered from Liaoning, China, and dating from the early Cretaceous Period (Barremian stage), 130-125. ... Species U. ostrommaysorum (Kirkland, Gaston & Burge, 1993) (type) Utahraptor (meaning Utah thief) is the largest known member of the theropod dinosaur family Dromaeosauridae, and dates from the upper Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous period (132-119 million years ago). ... Binomial name Achillobator giganticus , Achillobator giganticus was a carnivorous dinosaur. ...

Relationship with birds

Dromaeosaurids were members of the clade Maniraptora, and may be the sister taxon to Aves (birds), although there is mounting evidence that they are true birds themselves. Evidence from dromaeosaurid skin impressions (in animals such as Microraptor, Cryptovolans and Sinornithosaurus) and quill knobs (the anchor points for large wing feathers, seen in Rahonavis and Velociraptor^[3]) show that dromaeosaurids had modern pennaceous feathers and fully formed remiges or 'flight feathers', leading to the question of whether the smaller, larger-winged species were capable of active flight. Modern feathers are a primitive trait of the Maniraptora and primitive dromaeosaurids and dromaeosaur relatives (like Jinfengopteryx, Pedopenna and Archaeopteryx) show evidence of feathers. A model of Archaeopteryx lithographica on display at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. ... Sinornithosaurus by Jim Robins Feathered dinosaurs are regarded by many paleontologists as transitional fossils between birds and dinosaurs (see Dinosaur-bird connection). ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Subgroups Alvarezsauria Aves Deinonychosauria Oviraptorosauria Therizinosauria Maniraptora is a group used in biological classification to cover the birds and the dinosaurs that were related to them. ... This cladogram shows the relationship among various insect groups. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Cryptovolans pauli is a 90 cm long feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur recently discovered in the Jiufotang site, China. ... Species (type) Sinornithosaurus (derived from a combination of Latin and Greek, meaning Chinese bird-lizard) is a feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur genus from the Lower Cretaceous Period (Middle Barremian) of the Yixian Formation in what is now China. ... Rahonavis, from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, is the subject of some controversy as to its proper taxonomic position--whether it is a member of the crown clade Aves or a closely related dromaeosaur. ... Two feathers Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. ... Remiges are a birds flight feathers which are attached to the rear portion of the wing bones. ... Binomial name Jinfengopteryx elegans Ji et. ... Pedopenna daohugouensis (Xu & Zhang 2005) was a small eumaniraptoran dinosaur from the Late Jurassic from the Daohugou beds in China. ... Species A. lithographica Meyer, 1861 (type) Synonyms See below Archaeopteryx (from Ancient Greek archaios meaning ancient and pteryx meaning feather or wing; pronounced Ar-kay-op-ter-iks ) is the earliest and most primitive known bird to date. ...

Whether dromaeosaurids were birds or non-avian dinosaurs depends on their position relative to Archaeopteryx, on which most scientific definitions of "bird" are based. In phylogenetic nomenclature, all members of the clade Aves are dinosaurs, but since dromaeosaurids are found to be slightly less advanced than Archaeopteryx by most studies, they are excluded from Aves.^[4] However, some researchers (such as Alan Feduccia, Larry Martin, Gregory S. Paul,^[5] and Stephen Czerkas^[6]) have considered dromaeosaurids to be more advanced than Archaeopteryx, and therefore members of the clade (or class) Aves. Paul, for example, pointed out numerous features of the dromaeosaurid skeleton which he interpreted as evidence that the entire group had evolved from flying ancestors.^[7] Mackovicky and colleagues also found that primitive dromaeosaurids, such as Microraptor and Rahonavis, were more bird-like than advanced forms like Velociraptor, indicating that the larger dromaeosaurids were secondarily flightless, like the modern ostrich.^[8] Additionally, the discovery in 2005 of the Thermopolis specimen of Archaeopteryx, which preserved a dromaeosaurid-like hyperextendible second toe, may mean that Archaeopteryx itself is more primitive than the dromaeosaurids.^[9] The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Alan Feduccia is a paleornithologist, specializing in the origins and phylogeny of birds. ... Larry Martin (born 1943) is an American vertebrate paleontologist and curator curator of the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center at the University of Kansas. ... Gregory S. Paul (born 1954) is a freelance paleontologist, author and illustrator. ... // Binomial name Carolus Linnaeus, 1758 The present-day distribution of Ostriches. ... Thermopolis is a town located in Hot Springs County, Wyoming. ...

Systematics

Taxonomy

The authorship of the family Dromaeosauridae is credited to W.D. Matthew and Barnum Brown, who erected it as a subfamily (Dromaeosaurinae) of the now-defunct family Deinodontidae in 1922, containing only the new genus Dromaeosaurus.^[10] Dromaeosauridae, along with Troodontidae, make up the infraorder Deinonychosauria. Barnum Brown (1873-1963) was perhaps the most famous fossil hunter of the early Twentieth Century. ... Species (type species) Dromaeosaurus (drom-ee-oh-SAWR-us) meaning running lizard (Greek dromaios = swift-runner + sauros = lizard) is a wolf-sized theropod dinosaur genus from the Upper Cretaceous (Upper Campanian) of Alberta, Canada. ... Genera See text. ... Families Dromaeosauridae Troodontidae The Deinonychosauria were a successful clade of theropods in the Cretaceous period. ...

The subfamilies of Dromaeosauridae frequently shift in content based on new analysis, but typically consist of the following groups. A number of dromaeosaurids have not been assigned to any particular subfamily, often because they are too poorly preserved to be placed confidantly in phylogenetic analysis (see section Phylogeny below), or because they are basal relative to the primary subdivisions of Dromaeosauridae (Mahakala, for example, is the most primitive known dromaeosaurid and falls outside any named sub-group). The most basal subfamily of dromaeosaurids is often found to be the Unenlagiinae.^[11] This enigmatic group is the most poorly-supported subfamily of dromaeosaurs and it is possible that some or all of its members belong outside of Dromaeosauridae. The larger, ground-dwelling members like Buitreraptor and Unenlagia show strong flight adaptations, although they were probably too large to 'take off'. One member of this group, Rahonavis, is very small, with well-developed wings that show evidence of quill knobs (the attachment points for flight feathers) and it is very likely that it could fly. The next most primitive clade of dromaeosaurs is the Microraptoria. This group includes many of the smallest dromaeosaurs, which show adaptations for living in trees. All known dromaeosaur skin impressions hail from this group and all show an extensive covering of feathers and well-developed wings. Like the unenlagiines, some species may have been capable of active flight. The subfamily Velociraptorinae has traditionally included Velociraptor, Deinonychus, and Saurornitholestes, and while the discovery of Tsaagan lent support to the this grouping, the inclusion of Saurornitholestes is still uncertain. The Dromaeosaurinae is usually found to consist of medium to giant-sized species, with generally box-shaped skulls (the other subfamilies generally have narrower snouts). A phylogeny (or phylogenesis) is the origin and evolution of a set of organisms, usually of a species. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Binomial name Buitreraptor gonzalezorum Makovicky, Apesteguía & Agnolin, 2005 Buitreraptor was a rooster-size predatory dinosaur belonging to the dromaeosaurid family. ... Species (type) Calvo, Porfiri & Kellner, 2004 Unenlagia (meaning half-bird) was a genus of theropod dinosaur of the family Dromaeosauridae. ... Binomial name Deinonychus antirrhopus Ostrom, 1969 Deinonychus (IPA ) meaning terrible claw (Greek δεινος meaning terrible and ονυξ/ονυχος meaning claw) was a jaguar-sized, carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous Period. ... Saurornitholestes langstoni is a coyote-sized carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. ... Binomial name Tsaagan mangas Norell , 2006 Tsaagan (white) is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Djadokhta Formation of late Cretaceous Mongolia. ...

Mahakala, a basal dromaeosaurid.

Utahraptor, a dromaeosaurine.

Unenlagia, an unenlagiine.

Velociraptor, a velociraptorine.

The following classification of the various genera of dromaeosaurids is based on studies by Sereno (2005), Senter (2004), Makovicky et al. (2005), Norell et al. (2006), and Turner et al. (2007).^{[12][4][8][13][3]} Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Species M. omnogovae (type) Turner , 2007 Mahakala (from Sanskrit, named for Mahakala, one of eight protector deities (dharmapalas) in Tibetan Buddhism) is a genus of basal dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Campanian-age (about 75 million years ago) Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Ömnögov, Mongolia. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Species U. ostrommaysorum (Kirkland, Gaston & Burge, 1993) (type) Utahraptor (meaning Utah thief) is the largest known member of the theropod dinosaur family Dromaeosauridae, and dates from the upper Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous period (132-119 million years ago). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Species (type) Calvo, Porfiri & Kellner, 2004 Unenlagia (meaning half-bird) was a genus of theropod dinosaur of the family Dromaeosauridae. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Species V. mongoliensis Osborn, 1924 (type) Velociraptor (IPA: ; meaning swift thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 83 to 70 Ma (million years ago) during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. ...

• Family Dromaeosauridae
  • Atrociraptor
  • Dromaeosauroides
  • Luanchuanraptor
  • Mahakala
  • Pyroraptor
  •  ?Unquillosaurus^[14]
  • Variraptor
  • Subfamily Dromaeosaurinae^[10]
    • Achillobator
    • Adasaurus
    • Dromaeosaurus
    • Utahraptor
  • Subfamily Microraptorinae^[4]
    • Bambiraptor
    • Cryptovolans
    • Graciliraptor
    • Microraptor
    • Sinornithosaurus
  • Subfamily Unenlagiinae^[15]
    • Buitreraptor
    • Neuquenraptor
    • Rahonavis
    • Shanag
    • Unenlagia
  • Subfamily Velociraptorinae^[16]
    • Deinonychus
    • Saurornitholestes
    • Tsaagan
    • Velociraptor

Binomial name Atrociraptor marshalli Currie and Varricchio, 2004 Atrociraptor marshalli (Marshalls cruel thief) is a dromaeosaurid dinosaur species from the Upper Cretaceous (Upper Maastrichtian) of Alberta, Canada. ... Binomial name Dromaeosauroides bornholmensis Christiansen & Bonde, 2003 Dromaeosauroides is the name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. ... Species L. henanensis Lü , 2007 (type) Luanchuanraptor (meaning Luanchuan thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China. ... Species M. omnogovae (type) Turner , 2007 Mahakala (from Sanskrit, named for Mahakala, one of eight protector deities (dharmapalas) in Tibetan Buddhism) is a genus of basal dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Campanian-age (about 75 million years ago) Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Ömnögov, Mongolia. ... Binomial name Pyroraptor olympius Allain & Taquet, 2000 Pyroraptor (fire thief) was a small, bird like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (76-74 million years ago). ... Unquillosaurus (Unquillo lizard) was a theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period, discovered in Argentina. ... Species V. mechinorum Le Loeuff & Buffetaut, 1998 Variraptor (VAHR-i-RAP-tor - (Latin) Varus for a name of a river + (Latin) raptor meaning thief) named after the Var River and the Var Department in the Provence region of southern France, to indicate a maniraptoran theropod found in the Gres a... Binomial name Achillobator giganticus , Achillobator giganticus was a carnivorous dinosaur. ... Binomial name Amphicoelias fragillimus Richen Barsbold, 1983 Adasaurus (Ada Lizard) was a bird-like carnivorous dinosaur that lived 70 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period. ... Species (type species) Dromaeosaurus (drom-ee-oh-SAWR-us) meaning running lizard (Greek dromaios = swift-runner + sauros = lizard) is a wolf-sized theropod dinosaur genus from the Upper Cretaceous (Upper Campanian) of Alberta, Canada. ... Species U. ostrommaysorum (Kirkland, Gaston & Burge, 1993) (type) Utahraptor (meaning Utah thief) is the largest known member of the theropod dinosaur family Dromaeosauridae, and dates from the upper Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous period (132-119 million years ago). ... Binomial name Bambiraptor feinbergi Burnham , 2000 Bambiraptor is a 75 million year old bird-like dinosaur discovered by scientists at the University of Kansas, Yale University, and the University of New Orleans. ... Cryptovolans pauli is a 90 cm long feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur recently discovered in the Jiufotang site, China. ... Binomial name Graciliraptor lujiatunensis Xu & Wang, 2004 Graciliraptor is the name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. ... Species (type) Xu et al, 2003 Microraptor (small thief) is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur known from well-preserved fossil remains recovered from Liaoning, China, and dating from the early Cretaceous Period (Barremian stage), 130-125. ... Species (type) Sinornithosaurus (derived from a combination of Latin and Greek, meaning Chinese bird-lizard) is a feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur genus from the Lower Cretaceous Period (Middle Barremian) of the Yixian Formation in what is now China. ... Binomial name Buitreraptor gonzalezorum Makovicky, Apesteguía & Agnolin, 2005 Buitreraptor was a rooster-size predatory dinosaur belonging to the dromaeosaurid family. ... Species N. argentinus Novas & Pol, 2005 Neuquenraptor argentinus is the first dromaeosaurid found from the southern hemisphere. ... Rahonavis, from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, is the subject of some controversy as to its proper taxonomic position--whether it is a member of the crown clade Aves or a closely related dromaeosaur. ... Binomial name Shanag ashile Turner, Hwang & Norell, 2007 Shanag is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the early Cretaceous Period of Mongolia. ... Species (type) Calvo, Porfiri & Kellner, 2004 Unenlagia (meaning half-bird) was a genus of theropod dinosaur of the family Dromaeosauridae. ... Binomial name Deinonychus antirrhopus Ostrom, 1969 Deinonychus (IPA ) meaning terrible claw (Greek δεινος meaning terrible and ονυξ/ονυχος meaning claw) was a jaguar-sized, carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous Period. ... Saurornitholestes langstoni is a coyote-sized carnivorous dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. ... Binomial name Tsaagan mangas Norell , 2006 Tsaagan (white) is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Djadokhta Formation of late Cretaceous Mongolia. ... Species V. mongoliensis Osborn, 1924 (type) Velociraptor (IPA: ; meaning swift thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 83 to 70 Ma (million years ago) during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. ...

Phylogeny

Dromaeosauridae was first defined as a clade by Paul Sereno in 1998, as the most inclusive natural group containing Dromaeosaurus but not Troodon, Ornithomimus or Passer. The various "subfamilies" have also been re-defined as clades, usually defined as all species closer to the groups namesake than to Dromaeosaurus or any namesakes of other sub-clades (for example, Makovicky defined the clade Unenlagiinae as all dromaeosaurids closer to Unenlagia than to Velociraptor). The Microraptoria is the only dromaeosaurid sub-clade not converted from a subfamily. Senter and colleagues expressly coined the name without the subfamily suffix -inae to avoid perceived issues with erecting a traditional family-group taxon, should the group be found to lie outside dromaeosauridae proper.^[4] Sereno offered a revised definition of the sub-group containing Microraptor to ensure that it would fall within Dromaeosauridae, and erected the subfamily Microraptorinae, attributing it to Senter et al., though this usage has only appeared on his online TaxonSearch database and has not been formally published.^[12] A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Paul Callistus Sereno (born October 11, 1957) is an American paleontologist who is the discoverer of several new dinosaur species on several continents. ... Binomial name Troodon formosus Leidy, 1856 Troodon formosus was a relatively small, bird-like dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period (68–65 MYA). ... Ornithomimus (bird mimic) is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. ... Species Many, see text Passer is a genus of Old World sparrows. ... Linnaean taxonomy classifies living things into a hierarchy, originally starting with kingdoms. ...

The cladogram below follows a 2007 analysis by Turner and colleagues, with sub-clades labelled according to definitions by Sereno, 2005.^[3] Greek clados = branch) or phylogenetic systematics is a branch of biology that determines the evolutionary relationships of living things based on derived similarities. ...

Paleobiology

Predatory behavior

Model of the "sickle claw" of Utahraptor.

There is currently disagreement about the function of the enlarged "sickle claw" on the second toe. When John Ostrom described it for Deinonychus in 1969, he interpreted the claw as a blade-like slashing weapon, much like the canines of some saber-toothed cats, used with powerful kicks to disembowel prey. This interpretation was commonly applied to all dromaeosaurids. However, Manning et al. argued that the claw instead served as a hook, reconstructing the keratinous sheath with an elliptical cross section, instead of the previously inferred inverted teardrop shape.^[17] In Manning's interpretation, the second toe claw would be used as a climbing aid when subduing bigger prey and also as stabbing weapon. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 443 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1314 × 1779 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 443 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1314 × 1779 pixel, file size: 1. ... Species U. ostrommaysorum (Kirkland, Gaston & Burge, 1993) (type) Utahraptor (meaning Utah thief) is the largest known member of the theropod dinosaur family Dromaeosauridae, and dates from the upper Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous period (132-119 million years ago). ... Species Homotherium serum Homotherium latidens Homotherium aethiopicum Homotherium hadarensis Homotherium nestianus Homotherium nihowanensis Homotherium sainzelli Homotherium ultimum Homotherium crenatidens Homotherium cenatidens Homotherium is a machairodontine saber-toothed cat genus that lived approximately 3 million to 10,000 years ago in North America, Eurasia and Africa. ...

Pack Hunting
Deinonychus fossils have been uncovered in small groups near the remains of the herbivore Tenontosaurus, a larger ornithischian dinosaur. This had been interpreted as evidence that these dromaeosaurs hunted in coordinated packs like some modern mammals.^[18] However, not all paleontologists found the evidence conclusive, and subsequent studies suggest that the Deinonychus were more likely to have been engaged in disorganized mobbing behavior. Modern birds and crocodiles (the closest relatives of dromaeosaurs) display little cooperative hunting; instead, they are usually either solitary hunters, or are drawn to previously-killed carcasses, where conflict often occurs between individuals of the same species. For example, in situations where groups of komodo dragons are eating together, the largest individuals eat first and will attack smaller komodos that attempt to feed; if the smaller animal dies, it is cannibalized. When this information is applied to the sites containing putative pack-hunting behavior in dromaeosaurs, it appears consistent with a komodo- or crocodile-like feeding strategy. Deinonychus skeletal remains found at these sites are from subadults, with missing parts consistent with having been eaten by other Deinonychus, evidence against the idea that the animals cooperated in the hunt.^[19] Recent trackway evidence in Shandong, China, supports the theory that at least some dromaeosaurids moved in packs.^[20] Binomial name Deinonychus antirrhopus Ostrom, 1969 Deinonychus (IPA ) meaning terrible claw (Greek δεινος meaning terrible and ονυξ/ονυχος meaning claw) was a jaguar-sized, carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous Period. ... Tenontosaurus was an Iguanodont from Early Cretaceous North America. ... Suborders Thyreophora Cerapoda    Ornithopoda    Marginocephalia Ornithischia is an order of beaked, herbivorous dinosaurs. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... The Great Tit, a passerine bird, employs both mobbing behavior and alarm calls. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Genera Mecistops Crocodylus Osteolaemus See full taxonomy. ... Three Mormon crickets eating a fourth Mormon cricket In zoology, cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded for more than 1500 species (this estimate is from 1981, and likely a gross underestimation). ...

Feathers

Fossil of Microraptor gui with feather impressions.

The first known dromaeosaur with definitive evidence of feathers was Sinornithosaurus, reported from China by Xu et al. in 1999.^[21] Many other dromaeosaurid fossils have been found with feathers covering their bodies, some with fully-developed feathered wings. Some even show evidence of a second pair of wings on the hind legs, including Microraptor and Cryptovolans.^[22] While direct feather impressions are only possible in fine-grained sediments, some fossils found in coarser rocks show evidence of feathers by the presence of quill knobs, the attatchment points for wing feathers possessed by some birds. The dromaeosaurids Rahonavis and Velociraptor have both been found with quill knobs, showing that these forms had feathers despite no impressions having been found. In light of this, it is most likely that even the larger ground-dwelling dromaeosaurids bore feathers, since even flightless birds today retain most of their plumage, and relatively large dromaeosaurids, like Velociraptor, are known to have retained pennaceous feathers.^[7][3] Though some scientists had suggested that the larger dromaeosaurids lost some or all of their insulatory covering, the discovery of feathers in Velociraptor specimens has been used as evidence that all members of the family retained feathers.^[23][3] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1171x601, 112 KB) ファイルの概要 dinosaur: Microraptor gui Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Dinosaur ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1171x601, 112 KB) ファイルの概要 dinosaur: Microraptor gui Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Dinosaur ... Species (type) Xu et al, 2003 Microraptor (small thief) is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur known from well-preserved fossil remains recovered from Liaoning, China, and dating from the early Cretaceous Period (Barremian stage), 130-125. ... Two feathers Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. ... Species (type) Sinornithosaurus (derived from a combination of Latin and Greek, meaning Chinese bird-lizard) is a feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur genus from the Lower Cretaceous Period (Middle Barremian) of the Yixian Formation in what is now China. ... Species (type) Xu et al, 2003 Microraptor (small thief) is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur known from well-preserved fossil remains recovered from Liaoning, China, and dating from the early Cretaceous Period (Barremian stage), 130-125. ... Cryptovolans pauli is a 90 cm long feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur recently discovered in the Jiufotang site, China. ...

In popular culture

See also: Biological issues in Jurassic Park

The dimensions of the supposed Velociraptor in the film Jurassic Park are much larger than the largest members of the genus. Robert Bakker recalled that Steven Spielberg had been disappointed with the dimensions of Velociraptor and so upsized it, adding that soon afterwards he named Utahraptor which was more the size depicted.^[24] Gregory S. Paul, in his book Predatory Dinosaurs of the World, concluded that Deinonychus was a species of Velociraptor and rechristened the species Velociraptor antirrhopus,^[5] a theory that has since been largely rejected.^[25][26][27] Michael Crichton continued to synonymize the two genera in his novels, on which the first two films were based. The depiction of the dromaeosaurid in the original Jurassic Park film, while accurate for its time, is now known to have been inaccurate in many respects, including the lack of feathers, though Jurassic Park III addressed this last oversight.
This does not cite any references or sources. ... Species V. mongoliensis Osborn, 1924 (type) Velociraptor (IPA: ; meaning swift thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 83 to 70 Ma (million years ago) during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. ... Jurassic Park is a techno-thriller novel written by Michael Crichton that was published in 1990. ... Species U. ostrommaysorum (Kirkland, Gaston & Burge, 1993) (type) Utahraptor (meaning Utah thief) is the largest known member of the theropod dinosaur family Dromaeosauridae, and dates from the upper Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous period (132-119 million years ago). ... Gregory S. Paul (born 1954) is a freelance paleontologist, author and illustrator. ... Michael Crichton, pronounced [1], (born October 23, 1942) is an American author, film producer, film director, and television producer. ... In scientific classification, synonymy is the existence of multiple systematic names to label the same organism. ... Sinornithosaurus by Jim Robins Feathered dinosaurs are regarded by many paleontologists as transitional fossils between birds and dinosaurs (see Dinosaur-bird connection). ... Jurassic Park III is a 2001 film that is the third film as part of the Jurassic Park franchise. ...

References

[[Citation | last1 = Hwang | first1 = S. H. | last2 = Norell | first2 = M. A. | last3 = Ji |first3 = Q. | last4 = Gao |first4 = K. | title = "New Specimens of Microraptor zhaoianus (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from Northeastern China." | publisher = American Museum Novitates | number = 3381 | year = 2002 A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Robert T. Bakker (Bob Bakker), born in Bergen, New Jersey, 1945, is a famous American paleontologist who has helped re_shape modern theories about dinosaurs, particularly by adding support to the theory that some dinosaurs were homeothermic (warm-blooded). ...

[[Citation | last1 = Witmer |first1 = L.M. | title = The Debate on Avian Ancestry; Phylogeny, Function, and Fossils | editors = Witmer, L. M., Chiappe L.M., | title = Mesozoic Birds; Above The Heads of Dinosaurs | publisher = University of California Press | year = 2002

External links

• Dromaeosauridae at DinoData.
• The Dromaeosauridae: The Raptors!, from the University of California Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.
• Dromaeosauridae, by Justin Tweet from Thescelosaurus.
• Dinosaurs - Complete and free online edition of the book "Dinosaurs" as written by W. D. Matthew (cited in this article with authorship of the family Dromaeosauridae), and former Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; Originally published in 1915

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