Page 128 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

Dromaeosaurs

The body was probably covered with
feathers, similar to those of modern birds.
The age of dinosaurs
Buitreraptor

The jaws of this big,
South American hunter
were unusually long,
like a crocodile’s.

Most dromaeosaurs
had strong hands that they
used to grab their prey.

Deinonychus The

Velociraptor
depicted in the film
Jurassic Park
was based on
Deinonychus. The arms of Austroraptor
were unusually short for a
dromaeosaur, suggesting
a different hunting technique.

Sinornithosaurus

Many of these
dinosaurs also
had long feathers
Long, sharp claws on on their legs.
its hands ensured that
Deinonychus kept a
tight grip on its victims.

Long feathers on the arms
were almost like wings but
not big enough for flight.

The most well-known lightweight hunters oversized, hooked claw that was held off the
of the dinosaur age are the dromaeosaurs, ground to keep it sharp. This specialized claw
often called raptor dinosaurs after animals was probably used to pin prey to the ground, or
like the small, agile Velociraptor. They were even—in smaller types—to climb trees. Recent
typically long-armed hunters with large claws on fossils found in China show that these dinosaurs
126 their hands. The second toe on each foot had an were covered in feathers, and many had long,

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