Dinosaurs from Judith River formation
Raptors, members of the Dromaeosauridae family, were generally small carnivorous dinosaurs characterized by a sickle claw. They used these claws probably more than their teeth, to attack their prey. Their hands were flexible for gripping; their tail was stiffened by tendons so that it would have been rod-like. The raptor Velociraptor was made famous by the movie Jurassic Park.
Dromaeosaurus albertensis
Dromaeosaurus was a coyote sized predator thought to have hunted in packs. Unlike most raptors it relied more on its teeth than its claws to catch its prey. It is known from a skull, teeth, and parts of feet. The skull reveals that it may have had binocular vision, allowing it to more accurately gauge distance. It may have fed on Corythosaurus and other duckbilled dinosaurs.
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You can see a groove extending from the tip of this tooth where it wore against a tooth on the other jaw. The tooth is not quite a half inch long. |
| Family: | Dromaeosauridae |
| Formation: | Dinosaur Park |
| Epoch: | Campanian of the late Cretaceous |
| Length: | 6 feet |
| Weight: | 50 lbs. |
Saurornitholestes langstoni
| This species is known from just fragments of its skull and skeleton. It's thought to be a small predator species that utilized its sickle claws more than its teeth to catch its prey. |  |
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Tooth is about 5/16" long |
| Other name: | Velociraptor langstoni |
| Family: | Dromaeosauridae |
| Formation: | Oldman |
| Epoch: | Campanian of the late Cretaceous |
| Length: | 6 feet? |
| Weight: | Variously described as 10 to 50 lbs. |