Rise of the feathered dinosaurs

[abzo]

Sorry to disappoint you guys:

http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosa.../velofacts.htm

2. Velociraptor was about the size of a big chicken...

For a dinosaur that's often mentioned in the same breath as Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor was remarkably puny: this carnivore weighed only about 30 pounds fully grown (about the same as a good-sized human toddler) and achieved an awe-inspiring height of two or three feet, max.

3. ...and it looked like a big chicken, too.

Based on the the smaller, more primitive, feathered raptors that predated it by millions of years, paleontologists believe Velociraptor sported feathers, too, though the direct evidence for this is slim. Artists have pictured this dinosaur with everything from wan, chicken-like tufts to bright green plumage worthy of a South American parrot.

[DJ...]

Sorry to disappoint you guys:

http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosa.../velofacts.htm

Quite clearly someone has never seen the Jurassic Park documentary series...

[Elimentals]

Sorry to disappoint you guys:

http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosa.../velofacts.htm

Facts and fossels are a lie. I have seen Jurassic Park, the big ones are real, also had no feathers!!!!

Actually come to think of it, the lack of feathers on em dino's in the movie was the real reason I could not enjoy the movie.

[Picard]

These sorts of discoveries are making dinos look less and less badass.

And they would seem even less badass if those feathers were made up into a feather boa.

[porchrat]

Sorry to disappoint you guys:

http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosa.../velofacts.htm

Yea I was heartbroken when I found out as a kid.

[Lupus]

Yup I don't know why they didn't just use deinyichus (sp) as that was the size depicted in JP and had that vicious claw as well. Perhaps velcioraptor is just easier to say.

[porchrat]

And they would seem even less badass if those feathers were made up into a feather boa.

Don't give these scientists any ideas!! It is bas enough that dinos now look like giant freakin chickens I don't want them pulling a total Elton John on us.

Yup I don't know why they didn't just use deinyichus (sp) as that was the size depicted in JP and had that vicious claw as well. Perhaps velcioraptor is just easier to say.

They probably didn't use the word because in most ways that film was aimed at kids. Kids 10 and up would battle to become familiar with a word like Deinonychus like they did with the word velociraptor.

They should have just gone with Utahraptor. That thing has an easily memorised and comprehended name and was impressive in the size department.

[Swa]

/cue Swa, SEF and nogard...

Ahem... someone mention me?

Interesting article, although my interests predates the dinosaurs.

Mine too. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98819


On the Jurassic subject, I would rather battle one raptor than a flock(?) of those little ones.