Velociraptor, the "Speedy Thief,"
is an insanely popular dinosaur due
to its star status in popular
movies. However, the real veloci-
raptor is very different from the 
man-sized, scaly monsters depicted
by Hollywood. True velociraptors
were unimposingly small, only two
meters long and one and a half 
meters tall. They also had feathers,
like a bird. Functionally, these
feathers likely possessed a vibrant 
pattern to attract potential mates. 
They also assisted in covering nests
while brooding and increasing speed
while running uphill. 

Discovered in modern day Mongolia,
the velociraptor lived in arid 
environments consisting of mainly 
sand dunes. It lived during the late
Cretaceous Period but disappeared 
before the mass extinction that 
killed the dinosaurs. During its 
tenure on Earth, the velociraptor
scoured the deserts for vulnerable 
prey, such as its famous adversary, 
protoceratops. It hunted and killed
small prey with a method called 
"raptor prey restraint," in which it
attacked the prey, pinned it down, 
and started to eat it alive.
For larger prey, fellow veloci-
raptors may have collaborated in 
packs, working together and using 
the large claw on their second toes 
to secure the kill. The exact way
dromeosaur sickle-claws were used is
still under debate today, but they may 
have also used them to climb trees. 
