The Real-Life Inspiration Behind the ‘Jurassic Park’ Velociraptors

Step into the wild world of Dromaeosaurs, feathered dinosaurs that flourished in Asia and North America.

By Joshua Rapp Learn
Jul 11, 2023 1:00 PM
Deinonychus
3D rendering of Deinonychus. (Credit: Elenarts/Shutterstock)

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Apart from Tyrannosaurus Rex, no other group of dinosaurs has captured popular imagination like the Dromaeosaurs. Fast-moving and potentially fast-thinking, these dinosaurs grew feathers and often appeared more birdlike than many of their contemporaries.

Nicknamed the “raptors,” perhaps the most well-known Dromaeosaur is the Velociraptor.

How Big Were Velociraptors?

Much of this dinosaur’s fame comes thanks to the Jurassic Park movies, which featured large beasts referred to as Velociraptors. In reality, however, they were much smaller — somewhere between a chicken and a fox in size.

The film-famous version was instead based on another Dromaeosaur, called Deinonychus antirrhopus.

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