Journal · Dinosaurs
Velociraptor life size: much smaller than the films
The real Velociraptor was about 2 metres (6.5 feet) long, mostly tail, and stood about knee-high to an adult at the hip. It also had feathers. Turn the model around and stand next to it at your own height. On an iPhone or iPad you can try putting it on your floor at life size.
Velociraptor Life Size. Drag to turn the model, and pinch or scroll to zoom. It is built in code from fossil measurements, so its size is real and its colours are a guess. Sound is off until you turn it on.
What the fossils tell us
- Velociraptor lived about 75 to 71 million years ago in what is now the Gobi Desert, in Mongolia and northern China.
- It was named in 1924 by Henry Fairfield Osborn. The name comes from the Latin for swift and robber.
- In 2007, scientists found six small bumps called quill knobs on a Velociraptor forearm bone. In birds, these bumps anchor large wing feathers.
- A famous fossil found in 1971, called the Fighting Dinosaurs, shows a Velociraptor locked in a fight with a Protoceratops. Both were buried by sand very quickly, probably from a collapsing dune or a sandstorm.
- Its closest living relatives are birds.
What this model is, and what it is not
- Its size is real. It is 2.0 m long and 0.5 m at the hip, inside the measured ranges.
- Its colours are a guess. No Velociraptor fossil has kept its colours.
- Its feathered arms come from the quill knobs. Feathers on the rest of the body are inferred from close relatives that were found with feathers preserved.
- Its pose is one reasonable guess. It is a simple shape built in code from measurements, not a scan of a fossil.
- The film raptors were modelled on Deinonychus, a larger relative. This page shows Velociraptor itself.
Questions people ask
How big was a Velociraptor?
About 1.5 to 2.07 metres (4.9 to 6.8 feet) long from nose to tail, and about 0.5 metres (1.6 feet) tall at the hip. About half of its length was tail.
How big was a Velociraptor next to a person?
Its hip came up to about an adult’s knee. In this model’s pose, its head reaches about halfway up a 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) adult. Set your own height above the model and the page works out the numbers for you.
How much did a Velociraptor weigh?
Estimates run from 14.1 to 19.7 kilograms, about 31 to 43 pounds. That is lighter than most Labrador retrievers.
Did Velociraptors have feathers?
Yes. In 2007, scientists found quill knobs on a Velociraptor forearm bone. These are the bumps where large feathers attach in birds. It still could not fly.
Were Velociraptors real?
Yes. Velociraptor is known from fossils found in Mongolia and China, and it was named in 1924. The raptors in the films are not a good guide to it. They were modelled on a larger relative called Deinonychus, and were shown without feathers.
How do I see the Velociraptor in my room?
Open this page in Safari on an iPhone or iPad and tap the picture in the “See it in your room” box. Point your camera at the floor. It appears at its real size, about 2 metres long.