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Velociraptor — "raptor" for short — roamed the Earth about 75 million to 71 million years ago toward the end of the Cretaceous Period, which was the glory days of the dinosaurs.
Velociraptor was named in 1924 by Henry Fairfield Osborn, president of the American Museum of Natural History. He bestowed the name on this dinosaur, which is derived from the Latin words "velox" (swift) and "raptor" (robber or plunderer), as an apt description of its survival tactics. Earlier that year, Osborn had called the dinosaur Ovoraptor djadochtari in an article in the popular press, but was later referred to as Velociraptor in scientific journals and papers.There were two species of Velociraptors. Fossils of the V. mongoliensis species have been discovered in Mongolia. A second species, V. osmolskae, was named in 2008 for skull material discovered in Inner Mongolia, China.
A member of the dromaeosaurid family, Velociraptor was roughly the size of a small turkey and smaller than others in this family of dinosaurs, which included the Deinonychus and Achillobator. Adult Velociraptors were up to 6.8 feet (2 meters) long, 1.6 feet (0.5 meter) tall at the hip and weighed up to 33 pounds (15 kilograms).
Like Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor had a prominent role in the "Jurassic Park" movies, but scientists do not believe it resembled anything close to its Hollywood depiction in terms of size or appearance. While the Velociraptor was featherless in the movies, paleontologists discovered quill knobs on a well-preserved forearm from Mongolia in 2007, indicating Velociraptor had feathers. The feathers were just for show — most likely to attract a mate, regulate body temperature and help females protect their eggs — as Velociraptor did not fly.
Although many of its closely related ancestors could fly, Velociraptor is thought to have been grounded due to its weight in proportion to its short forelimbs. Scientists theorize that the short forelimbs could have been the evolutionary leftovers of what were once wings.
Velociraptor, which means “speedy thief,” had a sharp, deadly, sickle-shaped, retractable, 3.5-inch (9 cm) claw on each foot (located on each second toe). The Velociraptor may have been able to run up to roughly 40 mph (60 km/hr) for short bursts. This predator may have hunted in packs.
Although it shared many of the same physical characteristics with other dromaeosaurs, Velociraptor's distinguishing features included a long skull that was concave on the upper surface and convex on the lower. It also had a distinctive upturned snout.
The jaws were lined with 26 to 28 widely spaced teeth on each side, each more strongly serrated on the back edge than the front, making them ideal for catching and securing quick-moving prey.
Velociraptor's tail of hard, fused bones was inflexible and not useful as a weapon but it kept him balanced as he ran, hunted and jumped. Scientists estimate that a Velociraptor could jump as high as 10 feet (3 meters) straight in the air.
Velociraptor, like other dromaeosaurids, had two large hand-like appendages with three curved claws. The claws were used the same way as birds of prey use talons — as hooks to keep victims from escaping. A sickle-shaped retractable claw on each hindfoot was likely used to finish the job of killing its prey by piercing its throat.
The moniker of "speedy thief" is a bit misleading. Velociraptor may have been able to run up to roughly 40 mph (60 kph) on its two skinny legs, but it could only sustain that speed for very short bursts.
What did Velociraptor eat?
A carnivore, it is believed that Velociraptor survived on mostly small animals, such as reptiles, amphibians and other smaller, slower dinosaurs.
The horned dinosaur Protoceratops, a herbivore, was a favorite meal of Velociraptor, according to paleontologists. It also preyed on other herbivore dinosaurs.
Fossil discoveries
The first Velociraptor fossil was discovered by Peter Kaisen on the first American Museum of Natural History expedition to the Outer Mongolian Gobi Desert in August 1923. The skull was crushed but complete and one of the toe claws was also recovered.
Velociraptor fossils have been found in the Gobi Desert, which covers southern Mongolia and parts of northern China. In all, about a dozen Velociraptor fossils exist and all known specimens of V. mongoliensis were discovered in the Djadochta Formation (also spelled Djadokhta), in the Mongolian province of Ömnögovi. Image Gallery: Dinosaur Fossils]
While North American teams were not permitted in communist Mongolia during the Cold War, Soviet and Polish scientists collaborated with Mongolian scientists on expeditions that recovered several more Velociraptor specimens. On one of these expeditions in 1971, a Polish-Mongolian team discovered the fossils of a Velociraptor and a Protoceratops in the midst of battle. They were preserved by a sand dune that collapsed on them.
Between 1988 and 1990, a joint Chinese-Canadian team discovered Velociraptor remains in northern China. In 1990, a joint Mongolian-American expedition to the Gobi, led by the American Museum of Natural History and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, turned up several well-preserved skeletons.
Ford revealed the next generation 2009 F-150 design at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January, 2008. Production of the series began in October 2008 at Ford's Kansas City Assembly Plant. The truck features a larger and more flexible interior, an updated three-bar grille, and additional choices of cab styles and trim levels. The chassis includes lighter-weight, high-strength steel for better fuel economy and safety and improved payload and towing capacity. Three engines were initially offered with the 2009 redesign: a revised 5.4 L 3-valve Triton V8 that is E85 capable with an output rating of 320 hp (240 kW) and 395 lb·ft (536 N·m) of torque, a 292 hp (218 kW) 4.6 L 3-valve V8, and a 248 hp (185 kW) 4.6 L 2-valve V8. The 3-valve 5.4 and 4.6 liter V8s were mated to Ford's new 6R80E 6-speed automatic transmission while the 4R75E 4-speed automatic transmission used previously was carried over for the 2-valve 4.6 L V8. The 4.2 L OHV V6 engine, which was previously available, was dropped due to the closure of the Essex engine plant where it was produced.
A top-of-the-line Platinum edition F-150 replaced the Lincoln Mark LT truck. However, this trim line is still sold as the Lincoln Mark LT in Mexico.
The 2009 Ford F-150 featured front-seat side impact airbags and Ford's Safety Canopy System for the first and second rows as head protection in the event of a side impact. It also featured Ford's exclusive ADVANCETRAC RSC (Roll Stability Control)--an electronic Stability control and anti-rollover safety feature also available in other Ford vehicles, from the Fusion to the Expedition. The manual transmission option was dropped in 2009, which was the last year when the Flareside box was available, and the last year when the 17" wheels for the FX4 trim level.
For 2010 the only box offered was Styleside, and the base wheels for FX4 were 18". The SuperCab with 5.5' box was dropped for all but the SVT Raptor models.
For the 2011 model year, an all-new engine lineup was offered. Two of the engines, a 3.7 L V6 and a 5.0 L V8, both based on the 2011 Ford Mustang engines, both offer E85 flex-fuel capability. The 6.2 L V8 used in the 2011 Ford Super Duty was made available with the F-150 Platinum, Lariat, SVT Raptor, and Harley Davidson editions. Finally, the 3.5 L direct-injected twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 was offered in the F-150 starting in early 2011. All engines were paired with a new six-speed automatic transmission (6R80). Electric power-assisted steering was made available on all engines besides the 6.2. Since 2008, the Ford F-150 has towing and hauling capacity of 11,300 lbs and 3,060 lbs, respectively.
For 2012, the F-150 sported a ten-grade lineup.
For 2013, the F-150 received minor changes such as 2 new grilles, new optional 18, 20 and 22 inch wheels, Sync with MyFord, MyFord Touch navigation system, power folding and telescoping trailer tow mirrors, high-intensity discharge headlamps, 3 new color options ( Blue Jeans Metallic, Kodiak Brown Metallic and Ruby Red Clear-coat Metallic), new Alcantara seats in the FX Appearance Package, Black & Pecan Leather in Platinum, the return of the Limited model and the 6.2-liter V8 available in XLT, FX2, and FX4 (SuperCab and SuperCrew only).
Yes, a "Raptor" is quite different than a F150.
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