Way Smaller Than You Think

About this drawing

Would you believe this cute velociraptor was about the size of a turkey? Lots of people think it stood as tall as a grown-up, but a real adult barely came up past your knee. It weighed less than a little kid, too. Many people picture it way bigger than it was!

Here's another surprise: it had feathers. In 2007, scientists studied a velociraptor arm bone and spotted small bumps on it. Birds have the same bumps in the spot where big wing feathers attach. That told them this dinosaur was covered in feathers.

Even so, it couldn't fly. Its arms were too short and its body was too heavy. Those feathers might have kept it warm, helped it show off, or covered its eggs, just like birds do today.

Velociraptor lived about 75 million years ago in Asia, in places that are now Mongolia and China. It was quick and pretty smart for its size, with big eyes that helped it see well. It ate meat from small animals and ran on two legs. It wasn't a giant, but it was a very nimble hunter that really knew how to use its claws.

• dinosaurs
• velociraptor
• feathers
• elementary