Veloraptor 3D model

cgtrader

Carnivore Velociraptor was likely one of the most intelligent dinosaurs because its brain size was proportionately large compared to its body size. It was formidable on land and moved with incredible speed, covering ground rapidly as suggested by its name. Moving upright on two legs, they may have reached speeds of 24 miles per hour or 39 kilometers per hour. The first Velociraptor fossils discovered were a skull and the fearsome curved claw. These drawings were published by Henry Fairfield Osborn in his 1924 description of the new dinosaur. Image courtesy of the AMNH digital library. Henry Fairfield Osborn, president of the American Museum of Natural History, published a description of the finds in 1924, but he mistakenly assumed the large, curved claw belonged to the hand. We now know that it belonged to the second toe of Velociraptor's foot. It was a predator's perfect weapon and could grow up to more than 6.5 centimeters around its outer edge. "People have traditionally thought of the foot claw as a disemboweling tool," says David, "but it wouldn't really work like that." Paleontologists built a mechanical model of the claw for the BBC documentary "The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs" and couldn't get it to disembowel things. Instead, research suggests that the razor-sharp claw was used for stabbing, not slashing, and it was probably used as a hook to prevent prey from escaping.