Velociraptor was a small predatory dinosaur. It lived about 75 million years ago. It was about seven feet long and weighed about 35 pounds. The name Velociraptor means “swift thief.” Fossil evidence shows that this little dinosaur must have been a fast, effective hunter.

Its forearms were very thin and birdlike. It had long fingers with sharp claws, perfect for holding on to struggling prey. Long, slim legs would have given Velociraptor the speed to catch its food. Each foot had a huge claw on it that could have made large gashes in its victim. The “killing claws” on its feet were very large. In fact, the claws had to be held off the ground so Velociraptor could walk and run. Scientists think that Velociraptor may have hunted in packs, like wolves do today. These creatures likely worked in groups to bring down larger prey.

Velociraptor’s head was long. Its jaws were filled with small, sharp teeth. Its eyes were positioned to tilt slightly forward. This helped it gauge the distance to prey more accurately.

Velociraptor had a long, thin tail. Its tail was stiffened with a network of bony tendons. This tail helped it balance when running. The tail also may have helped it change direction quickly while sprinting after its supper.

Fossils of Velociraptor were found recently in Mongolia. These fossils tell us that Velociraptor had feathers. Feathers were good for keeping warm. They also helped signal or attract other velociraptors.

The “raptor” dinosaurs had many birdlike adaptations. Because of this, many paleontologists believe that modern-day birds are descended from Velociraptor and its relatives.

迅猛龍是種小型的肉食性恐龍，牠活在7500萬年前左右，身型大約有七呎長，重量約35磅。從字面上來看，迅猛龍指的是「動作迅速的小偷」。化石證據顯示，這種小型恐龍一定是動作快速又有效率的獵食者。

牠的前腳像鳥爪一樣非常地瘦小，牠有長長的指頭和銳利的爪子，適合抓住獵物，又長又瘦的腿讓迅猛龍可以快速的捕捉獵物，牠的每隻腳都有巨大的爪子，可以在受害者身上留下很深的傷口。牠腳上的「致命爪子」非常的巨大，大到牠必須要把前腳舉起來，這樣牠才有辦法走路和奔跑。科學家認為迅猛龍可能是以群體的方式獵食，像現代的狼群一樣，以合作的方式來擊倒大型獵物。

迅猛龍有長長的頭和又小又尖的牙齒，牠的眼睛微微的向中間靠攏，這讓牠可以更準確地測量獵物的距離。

迅猛龍有條又長又細的尾巴，牠的尾巴因為有像骨頭般的筋絡而變得很強壯，讓牠在奔跑時可以保持平衡，當牠全速奔跑捕捉獵物時，尾巴也能幫助牠快速改變方向。

最近在蒙古發現迅猛龍的化石，這些化石顯示迅猛龍有羽毛。羽毛有助於保溫，也有助於吸引其他迅猛龍，或對其他迅猛龍發出信號。

「猛禽類」的恐龍有許多像鳥一樣可以適應環境的條件。也因為這樣，許多古生物學家相信現代的鳥類是由迅猛龍和牠的近親演化而來。