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Dromaeosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur belonging to the Dromaeosauridae family (typically referred to as "raptors") that lived during the late Cretaceous about 75-65 million years ago. It was a successful pack-hunting theropod, able to reach great speeds, with powerful jumping, it took on larger herbivores, such as Edmontosaurus, by gathering in large packs.
A pack of Dromaeosaurus first play a large role in the episode "Raptors vs T-Rex". In this episode, they attack an Edmontosaurus because it wandered into their territory. The raptors win the fight, despite at least one of them being killed, but a Tyrannosaurus Rex appears and steals the food. The raptors later appear in the episode "Armageddon", where they take shelter in the forest to avoid the heat of an oncoming meteor, but are ultimately vaporized when it hits the earth.
Description[]
Two Dromaeosaurus
This vicious dinosaur lends its name to the dromaeosaurids, one distinctive group of so-called "raptor dinosaurs." It was far smaller than most carnivorous predators in its habitat: It stood 2-3 feet tall, measured some 2 meters (6.6 feet) long and weighed less than 100 pounds. Dromaeosaurus had a single large, sickle-like, retractable claw on the end of its second toe and more claws on its front limbs. Because of its assumed close relationship to modern-day birds, Dromaeosaurus may have been a social dinosaur.
Fighting style[]
Dromaeosaurus, whose name means "swift running lizard," was in fact quick-moving and agile, with a large brain and quick reflexes. It used its long, stiff tail to change direction quickly, and would go after the softer, vulnerable parts of its prey with its claws and sharp teeth, hoping to inflict a fatal wound. Dromaeosaurus offset its biggest weakness--its small size and fragility--by hunting in packs, which allowed it to attack much much larger prey.
Diet[]
Dromaeosaurus was sometimes forced to compete for its prey--which likely included large, slow-moving herbivores such as Edmontosaurus--with the gigantic carnivore Tyrannosaurus-Rex.
Trivia[]
- Unlike the Jurassic Fight Club version, Dromaeosaurus was covered in feathers (although some feathers can be seen standing on its head and neck, and in many scenes, it's shown to have small arm and tail feathers, which it may have had in real life, but much larger).
- As with all theropods in the show, Dromaeosaurus is incorrectly depicted with its hands facing downwards (pronation). In real life, no theropod could do this unless their wrists are broken.
- The name "raptor dinosaur" came into common use after its prominent mention in the enormously popular Michael Crichton book (and Steven Spielberg movie) Jurassic Park. In fact, scientists dismiss the term "raptor" as a misnomer; there is already a group of birds called the raptors, which includes eagles and other birds of prey. The technical term for the group is deinonychosaurs, of which the Dromaeosaurs is one group.
- All dromaeosaurs can run from 40-50 miles an hour.(Utahraptor, Deinonychus, Dromaeosaurus, Velociraptor, Dakotaraptor.)