April 18 is National Velociraptor Awareness Day 2024, commemorating the 70 million-year-old prehistoric creature that gained fame in the 1990s with Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" films.
Source: Forbes
National Velociraptor Awareness Day 2024: In the early 1990s, the “Jurassic Park” films directed by Steven Spielberg elevated raptors to the status of legitimate Hollywood superstars. April 18 serves as National Velociraptor Awareness Day, prompting us to reflect once more on this prehistoric creature that inhabited the planet for over 70 million years.
The “Jurassic Park” films often depict raptors as scaly and reptilian, but they were 6.5 feet in length and less than two feet at the hip. They had alarming hips, wings, and feathers, and bore some resemblance to turkey dinosaurs. The film production began before the 1991 unearthing of the Utahraptor skeleton, which stood at 5.5 feet and was the tallest specimen of its kind at the time.
During the Cretaceous period, velociraptors inhabited Earth between 85.8 million and 70.6 million years ago. In 1924, Henry Fairfield Osborn officially designated this dinosaur as a “velociraptor,” meaning swift and raptor. The name Velociraptor became the acknowledged designation.
In 2007, paleontologists discovered feathers and quill nodules on the fossil forearm of a velociraptor discovered in Mongolia. In 2008, protoceratops fossils contaminated with grooves and markings resembling those found on raptor teeth were discovered. A substantial pterosaur bone was also discovered in the intestines of a velociraptor in 2012, suggesting that velociraptors occasionally consumed pterosaurs. Velociraptor species include V. mongoliensis and V. osmolskae, with the latter first identified in 2008.
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Do velociraptors pose a threat?
In conjunction with three-inch-long curved claws on each of its hind feet, the velociraptor’s sharp teeth rendered it an extremely hazardous creature. According to the deductions of paleontologists, during surprise attacks, velociraptors fatally pierced their prey in the abdomen before retreating to a safe distance as the victim bled to death.
Intelligent velociraptors?
Since velociraptors were dromaeosaurids, which are the dinosaur taxa with the highest intelligence, they were genuinely intelligent.
Which two species comprise velociraptors?
Velociraptor species include V. mongoliensis and V. osmolskae.
Organize a film extravaganza
Observing all four “Jurassic Park” films in one night is quite an ideal way to commemorate these ancient, lethal creatures. Be certain to extend an invitation to a guest who has not yet visited the ‘Lost World.’
Become acquainted with the Flintstones
Fred and Wilma Flintstone, exemplary Bedrock residents, kept a pet raptor by the name of Dino. On National Velociraptor Awareness Day, awe your children with an animated film from the 1960s that depicts this adorable raptor.
Visit a museum.
La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles and the Natural History Museum in New York City are two examples. Make arrangements to visit an extinct land of dinosaurs and authentic fossils.
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Velociraptors lacked the epidermis of reptiles.
Velociraptors, by their quill projections, carried feathers instead.
Sizable poultry
In contrast to the depiction they received in Hollywood, velociraptors were roughly the size of an enormous fowl.
Velociraptors were not group hunters.
They were all solitary predators.
Velociraptors lacked velocity.
Despite its name translating to “speedy thief” in Greek, the Velociraptor exhibited a comparatively slower speed in comparison to other dinosaur species.
Oblique weaponry!
The sole, curved talons located on the feet of velociraptors served as their primary implements, enabling them to pierce, slash, and dismember assailants or prey.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | April 18 | Thursday |
| 2025 | April 18 | Friday |
| 2026 | April 18 | Saturday |
| 2027 | April 18 | Sunday |
| 2028 | April 18 | Tuesday |
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