Wikipedia:Today's featured article/October 30, 2023
Velociraptor is a genus of small dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch. It was about 1.5 to 2.07 m (4.9 to 6.8 ft) long with a body mass around 14.1 to 19.7 kg (31 to 43 lb). Velociraptor was a bipedal carnivore with feathers, a long tail, and an enlarged sickle-shaped claw on each hindfoot; these claws are thought to have been used to tackle and restrain prey. It is distinguished from other dromaeosaurids by its long and low skull, with an upturned snout. One of the dinosaur genera most familiar to the general public (due to its prominent role in the Jurassic Park films), in actuality it was roughly the size of a turkey, considerably smaller than its depictions in novels and films. It is well known to paleontologists, with more than a dozen described fossil skeletons. One dramatic specimen preserves a Velociraptor locked in combat with a Protoceratops. (Full article...)