Science shock: Fierce velociraptor just a big flappy bird

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Science shock: Fierce velociraptor just a big flappy bird

posted at 9:32 am on September 24, 2007 by Bryan

Another illusion melted in the cold light of science.

Velociraptor, the terrifying predator made famous in the movie “Jurassic Park,” appears to have had feathers in real life.

A close study of a velociraptor forearm found in Mongolia shows the presence of quill knobs, bumps on the bone where the feathers anchor, researchers report in Friday’s edition of the journal Science.

Dinosaurs are believed to be ancestors to modern birds. Evidence of feathered dinosaurs has been found in recent years, and now velociraptor can be added to that list…

The velociraptor the researchers studied was about three feet tall and weighed about 30 pounds. The size of these animals was exaggerated in the movie…

It had short forelimbs, compared to a modern bird, the researchers said, indicating it would not have been able to fly, even though it had feathers.
The feathers may have been useful for display, to shield nests, for temperature control or to help it maneuver while running, they said.

So…it was basically a mean turkey.*


*This science was conducted by researchers at Columbia University. So take it for whatever it’s worth.

[Stephen King lied, Newman died]
 
I thought they'd actually modeled the Velocaraptor after the Deinonychus in the movie Jurassic Park, since it was a fantasy movie anyway. The Deinonychus was similar to the raptor, didn't have as cool a name but was much larger.

deinonychus.jpg

or maybe:
deinonychus_antirrhopus.gif
 
I thought they'd actually modeled the Velocaraptor after the Deinonychus in the movie Jurassic Park, since it was a fantasy movie anyway. The Deinonychus was similar to the raptor, didn't have as cool a name but was much larger.

[/IMG]

They did... for Jurassic Park, they took artistic freedom and made the raptors large, fierce and intelligent. Not long after the movie screened, Paleontologists came out and said the V. raptor wasn't any larger than a turkey.
 

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