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Velociraptor
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sickle-clawed
dinosaur that
flourished in central and eastern Asia during the Late
Cretaceous Period
(99 million to 65 million years ago). It is closely related to the
North American Deinonychus of the Early Cretaceous in that both
reptiles were
dromaeosaurs.
Both possessed an unusually large claw on each foot, as well as
ossified tendon reinforcements in the tail that enabled them to
maintain balance while striking and slashing at prey with one foot
upraised. Velociraptor
was smaller than Deinonychus, reaching a length of only 1.8
metres (6 feet) and perhaps weighing no more than 45 kg (100 pounds).
Velociraptor appears to
have been a swift, agile predator of small herbivores.
"velociraptor" Encyclopędia
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