252 to 66 million years ago

Velociraptor - “The Swift Thief”

Thanks to Jurassic Park, Velociraptor became a global star - portrayed as a large, scaly predator with terrifying intelligence. But the real Velociraptor was even more fascinating. It was much smaller, about the size of a turkey, and covered in feathers, hinting at its close link to modern birds. Velociraptor lived around 75 million years ago in what is now Mongolia. It was a fast, agile hunter with a long, stiff tail for balance and sharp eyesight for tracking prey. Its most iconic weapon was a curved, sickle-shaped claw on each foot, which it used to slash, grip, and pin down its victims.

Though it couldn’t open doors like in the movies, Velociraptor was clever, quick, and deadly - a true predator of the Late Cretaceous.