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Topic: Dromaeosaurids


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  Dromaeosauridae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dromaeosaurids, 'raptors' or members of the family Dromaeosauridae ('running lizards' from Greek dromeus (δρομευς) meaning 'runner' and sauros (σαυρος) meaning 'lizard') are theropod dinosaurs.
Dromaeosaurids are theropods, and may be the sister taxon to Aves (birds), although there is mounting evidence (including the Thermopolis specimen of Archaeopteryx which preserves a retractable second toe claw) that they are true Avian birds (see below).
While dromaeosaurids have traditionally been considered non-avian dinosaurs, some researchers (such as Martin, Paul, and Czerkas) consider dromaeosaurids and other maniraptorans to be more derived than the first bird, Archaeopteryx and therefore members of the clade/class Aves.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Dromaeosauridae   (1432 words)

  
 Velociraptor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Velociraptor (meaning "swift robber") is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 83 to 70 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period.
The structure of the carpal bones prevented pronation of the wrist and forced the 'hands' to be held with the palmar surface facing inwards (medially), not downwards.
The kiwi is similar to dromaeosaurids in anatomy, feather type, bone structure and even the narrow anatomy of the nasal passages (usually a key indicator of metabolism).
en.wikipedia.org /?title=Velociraptor   (3105 words)

  
 Achillobator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It was a large dromaeosaurid, between 15 and 20 feet (4.6 to 6 meters) from snout to tail.
It refers to the large Achilles tendon needed to use the sickle claw on the foot, which was the major combat organ of dromaeosaurids.
Achillobator is probably a dromaeosaurid, a family of dinosaurs currently thought to be very closely related to birds.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Achillobator   (604 words)

  
 dromaeosauridae   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Dromaeosaurids are most often recognized for their feet; the second toe is hyperextendable and bears a large claw which could be slashed down in a narrow plane of vertical movement.
Dromaeosaurids also have tails stiffened by the chevrons and vertebral processes.
: Numerous unnamed and indeterminate dromaeosaurids are known, including a large dromaeosaurid from the Cenomanian (LK) of Sudan, dromaeosaurids from the LK of Romania, several forms from Mongolia, possible Jurassic examples from Asia (Callovian [MJ] of Kyrgyzstan?), Europe, and North America, and additional American forms in the Cloverly and Judithian-Edmontonian-Lancian succession.
personal2.stthomas.edu /jstweet/dromaeosauridae.htm   (1229 words)

  
 dino-mite! (groan)   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
i'll use the latin names interchangeably with "dromaeosaurid" and "troodontid," which are not capitalized like the latin names are.
in dromaeosaurids, the end of metatarsal II is what we call ginglymoid (tee hee, it's a funny word), a grooved, roller-type joint.
so the giant toe claw of dromaeosaurids was very powerful and carried enough force to easily slash right through a poor prey animal's belly.
research.amnh.org /~sunny/dino.html   (381 words)

  
 Dromaeosauridae Classification @ PLanet Dinosaur   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Unlike their descendants, such as Troodon, Dromaeosaurids were muscular animals.
Dromaeosaurids were among the most intelligent dinosaurs, likely the same intelligence as a modern-day bird the same size.
It is unknown whether Dromaeosaurids hunted solo or in packs, though many believe packs very well would have benefited the species.
planetdinosaur.com /dinosaurs/classification/dromaeosauridae.htm   (118 words)

  
 Untitled Document
Sinornithosaurus millenii ("Chinese lizard-bird of the new millennium") is a feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur genus from the Lower Cretaceous (Middle Barremian) of the Yixian Formation in China.
The dromaeosaurids are a collection of agile, meat-eating dinosaurs with large claws and big brains, which comprise the Deinonychus and the Utahraptor.
The presence of proto-feathers on an early dromaeosaurid indicates that all dromaeosaurids may have had proto-feathers instead of scales, even if later and higher species may have lost them.
www.rareresource.com /sinornithosaurus.htm   (491 words)

  
 Raptor line: fossil finds push back dinosaur ancestry Science News - Find Articles
The creature, dubbed Buitreraptor gonzalezorum, belonged to a group of bipedal, meat-eating dinosaurs called dromaeosaurids, the clan of raptors that includes the darting, humansize velociraptors made famous in the 1993 film Jurassic Park'.
If the earlier finds were dromaeosaurids, B. gonzalezorum is older, by millions of years, than any of this group found south of the equator.
Dromaeosaurids had the same joint arrangement as did early birds such as Archaeopteryx, Holtz adds.
www.findarticles.com /p/articles/mi_m1200/is_16_168/ai_n15781212   (588 words)

  
 Feathered dinosaurs
Dromaeosaurids, despite their notoriety, are poorly characterized meat-eating dinosaurs, and were previously known only from disarticulated or fragmentary specimens.
The shoulder girdle shows that terrestrial dromaeosaurids had attained the prerequisites for powered, flapping flight, supporting the idea that bird flight originated from the ground up.
This is the first mature non-avian dinosaur to be found that is smaller than Archaeopteryx, and it eliminates the size disparity between the earliest birds and their closest non-avian theropod relatives.
www.geocities.com /earthhistory/fd.htm   (2321 words)

  
 Enrichment 4 You - Art - Sculpture   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Dromaeosaurids or Dromaeosauridae or “swift lizards” were some of the most intelligent and dangerous dinosaurs that ever existed.
The purpose of this Enrichment4You e-guide is to provide a brief overview of Dromaeosaurid or Raptor dinosaurs.
You will read a brief overview about dromaeosaurids with an emphasis on Velociraptors and follow a step-by-step presentation with photographs of how to reproduce a museum quality rotating display of a Velociraptor skull.
www.enrichment4you.com /ARSC.htm   (790 words)

  
 Velociraptor
The Velociraptor ("speedy predator") mongoliensis belongs to the family called Dromaeosaurids, which are grouped under Therapoda (includes carnivorous or meat-eating dinosaurs), a subdivision of Saurischia (reptile hipped dinosaurs).
Velociraptor looks different from other Dromaeosaurids in that it has a low and narrow head.
The sizes of Dromaeosaurids were different: Dromaeosaurus (1.8 m/length), Velociraptor (1.8 m/length), and Deinonychus (3-3.3 m/length).
homepage.eircom.net /~pop4cool/Velociraptor.htm   (128 words)

  
 DinoDatabase.com :: Glossary | D
In relation to their body mass, ceratopsians had relatively large brains, as did such theropods as the dromaeosaurids.
Dromaeosaurids, in fact, are considered to be the smartest of dinosaurs, and they were probably at least as intelligent as the Emu (a modern, ostrich-like bird).
Dromaeosaurids lived during the Early to Late Cretaceous Periods.
www.dinodatabase.com /gloss/dnoglosd.asp   (1047 words)

  
 Dromaeosaurids - Paleontology and Geology Glossary
Dromaeosaurids or Dromaeosauridae (meaning "swift lizards") are a subgroup of the group Coelurosauria and of the theropods.
Dromaeosaurid fossils have been found in North America, South America, and Asia.
The dromaeosaurids' intelligence (as measured by their relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was the highest among the dinosaurs.
www.zoomdinosaurs.com /subjects/dinosaurs/glossary/Dromaeosaur.shtml   (245 words)

  
 Drifting apart : Nature
Sickle-clawed predatory dinosaurs, known as dromaeosaurids, are close relatives of birds.
It is geologically oldest of the southern dromaeosaurids, and its completeness provides evidence that they are a distinct lineage that split from their northern relatives after the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea towards the end of the Jurassic.
The individual in the foreground is shown holding a juvenile Priosphenodon (see Nature 425, 609–612; 2003), a relative of the living tuatara, and another relict of a group with a global Jurassic distribution.
www.nature.com /nature/journal/v437/n7061/edsumm/e051013-01.html   (171 words)

  
 Raptor Line: Fossil finds push back dinosaur ancestry: Science News Online, Oct. 15, 2005   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Previously unearthed fossils suggested that dromaeosaurids lived in the Southern Hemisphere, but the new find seals the case, says Makovicky.
Dromaeosaurids' presence on all of those continents suggests that the group's common ancestor lived on the Gondwana supercontinent when it was still intact, at least 145 million years ago.
The new find indicates that dromaeosaurids were far more widespread than previously recognized, says Mark A. Norell, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
www.sciencenews.org /articles/20051015/fob1.asp   (655 words)

  
 - On the Alleged Dinosaurian Ancestry of Birds -
If dromaeosaurids did have feathers, it is most unfortunate for the theropod position that no trace of them was preserved on any of the more than 20 individual creatures that have been unearthed.
In other words, the problem is not simply that the putative sister groups (dromaeosaurids and birds) appear with such a large stagger, but also that no dinosaur old enough to qualify as an ancestor of birds has the particularly birdlike traits on which the claim of dinosaurian ancestry is based.
Even dromaeosaurids are not claimed to be suitable ancestors of birds but merely the best approximation, based on speculation from cladistic analysis, of what the hypothetical bird ancestor would look like.
www.trueorigin.org /birdevo.asp   (11091 words)

  
 *Utahraptor* and Polyphyly of Recent Dromaeosaurids
Other features that separate velociraptorines are based largely on the form of the teeth and the form of the premaxilla, which suggest a high, round external nares, longer premaxilla than high, large (or not) first premaxillary tooth position, form of the anteriormost premaxillary teeth, and relative slenderness of the jaws.
There are a lot of other "dromaeosaurids" that have been named, the majority of them very gracile looking animals, and for the most part, these all have features of Dromaeosauridae.
On to all those _other_ "dromaeosaurids...." Arguing for a polyphyletic Dromaeosauridae: *Sinornithosaurus*, for the most part, appears to be the most basal dromaeosaurid.
dml.cmnh.org /2001Feb/msg00035.html   (1177 words)

  
 Meet Megaraptor   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Some of these dinosaurs have been known for nearly a century as small predators with some peculiar features—stiff thin tails and enormous curved sharp claws on their second fingers and toes.
Dromaeosaurids lived during the Cretaceous Period, when the southern continents were well-separated from those in the north.
Novas concluded it was the first known example of a kind of killer dinosaur that developed in the Southern Hemisphere—one that was unrelated to dromaeosaurids of North America.
www.highlightskids.com /Science/Stories/SS0399_megaraptor.asp   (772 words)

  
 Avialae   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
This latter paper interprets Unenlagia as a basal dromaeosaurid in a clade with Rahonavis and Buitreraptor, termed the Unenlagiinae.
Dromaeosaurid characters of Unenlagia include the anteriorly concave preacetabular process (also seen in Shenzhouraptor), and dorsal neural spine tables (also seen in ornithurines, but not basal troodontids, Buitreraptor, Archaeopteryx or Rahonavis).
However, it is more similar to Unenlagia and dromaeosaurids in that it has dorsal neural spine tables, and is more similar to troodontids in possessing a marked disparity between the width of pedal digits II and IV.
students.washington.edu /eoraptor/Avialae.htm   (2296 words)

  
 Dinosaur or Bird?   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
Within this group of mostly carnivorous dinosaurs are the dromaeosaurids, and they specifically are believed to be the closest dinosaur ancestors of birds_.
gui is still believed to be a basal dromaeosaurid, meaning that it’s one of the earliest of this type of theropod, maintaining that these fossils are of an ancestor to Archaeopteryx and all birds_.
Also, with these theories saying that dromaeosaurids lost their hind wings before some of them eventually lead to the evolution of Archaeopteryx, the question comes up of whether or not this first bird also had four wings, or if this characteristic belongs only to dromaeosaurids_.
www.lightlink.com /pri/ed/ICTHOL/ICTHOL04papers/14.htm   (1371 words)

  
 maniraptora   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
This animal may be close to the ancestry of dromaeosaurids (although there are some hints it is actually an oviraptorosaurian), but is not particularly well preserved.
From the lower part of the Yixian, this dromaeosaurid is based on a partial maxilla, caudals (elongated), and partial fore and hindlimbs.
It may be close to the common ancestor of the troodontids, dromaeosaurids, and "Aves", or a true dromaeosaurid, or it might just be happy hanging around with the other Yixian mini-deinonychosaurs as a microraptorian.
personal2.stthomas.edu /jstweet/maniraptora.htm   (2069 words)

  
 cooltech.iafrica.com | tech news Is T. rex related to the modern bird?
Theropods were two-legged meat-eaters that strode the planet between 230 million and 66.4 million years ago, a clan whose most notorious member was the "tyrant king," the Tyrannosaurus rex.
Another notion is that small dromaeosaurids took to living in branches for food or shelter.
In their early stage, they had four feathered limbs, which provided no thrust but could be stretched out to glide between treetops in the forest canopy.
cooltech.iafrica.com /technews/202941.htm   (674 words)

  
 China yields a flock of downy dinosaurs - Brief Article Science News - Find Articles
Dromaeosaurids have a special significance because most paleontologists pick this family as the dinosaur group closest to birds.
According to the prevailing theory, birds split off from the dromaeosaurid line sometime in the Jurassic period, more than 150 million years ago.
In particular, the animal had a shoulder socket pointing outward from the body, which would have allowed its arms to move in much the same way as a bird's wings do.
www.findarticles.com /p/articles/mi_m1200/is_12_156/ai_56183557   (553 words)

  
 Facts For Learning: Carnivorous Dinosaurs: Fast Hunters   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
These dinosaurs are known as the dromaeosaurids (part of a larger group called maniraptorans) and are commonly referred to as "raptors."
If it had not been for the fossil's feather impressions, the skeleton would have been mistaken for that of a dinosaur because it has a toothed jaw, clawed hands, and a long tail.
Any doubts about whether dromaeosaurids were related to birds were finally put to rest in the late 1990s, when an almost complete skeleton of Bambiraptor was discovered in Upper Cretaceous rocks in Montana.
www.facts.com /gdns-0000090.htm   (463 words)

  
 Abode Sciencewatch: Dromaeo-Swordfeet! (Article)
This dinosaur was a member of a group called the dromaeosaurids, or raptors.
There are known species of dromaeosaurids the size of those depicted in Jurassic Park, but Velociraptor itself was actually only about a meter (3 feet) tall and 1.8 meters (6 feet) long.
Multiple dromaeosaurid fossils have been found together around the fossil of a single large prey animal in several instances.
home.earthlink.net /~sweetwind7/sendings/swordfeet.html   (1480 words)

  
 Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs
Moreover, small maniraptorans are not at all absent from Late Jurassic sediments: Jensen and Padian (1989) described a collection of bones...
[which] could not be identified to the generic level but nonetheless indicated that if they are not bones of birds, then they are certainly those of their sister taxon, the dromaeosaurids.
The second argument is specious: even ignoring the presumption of the conclusion ("sister taxon") in the supporting case, if Jensen and Padian's bones are indeed those of birds, they do nothing to close the stratigraphic gap between birds and their supposed sister group, the dromaeosaurids.
www.peripatus.gen.nz /books/EncDin.html   (426 words)

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