Velociraptor was a small, fierce dinosaur that lived about 75 million years ago in what is now Mongolia and China. Despite what you might have seen in movies, real velociraptors were only about the size of a turkey, standing roughly two feet tall and weighing around 30 pounds. They had long, stiff tails for balance, sharp claws on their hands and feet, and rows of small, serrated teeth.

The name comes from Latin words meaning “swift thief,” and velociraptors were indeed quick predators. Their most distinctive feature was a large, curved claw on each foot, which they likely used to pin down prey. Fossil evidence suggests they had feathers, making them look more like deadly birds than the scaly reptiles shown in popular films.

Some scientists think velociraptors may have hunted in groups, possibly working together to take down animals larger than themselves. Scientists also believe they were among the more intelligent dinosaurs, with relatively large brains for their body size. When you hear someone mention a velociraptor today, they're usually thinking of the Hollywood version, which is actually based on a different, larger dinosaur called Deinonychus. Real velociraptors were smaller, but no less fascinating as examples of how dinosaurs are related to birds.