Velociraptors Used Their Claws Like Modern Birds Do

In a discovery that could also shed more light on the origin of naturally-occurring flight, researchers determined that the feather-covered, highly-intelligent Velociraptors most likely used their claws in a similar manner to how modern birds of prey use their talons.

Large birds simply grab hold of their prey, and then don't let go no matter what. The larger their talons, the higher the chance of a successful kill. In past studies, experts thought of Velociraptors as using their huge, middle-finger claws for hacking and slashing.

Birds use talons “as anchors, latching into the prey, preventing their escape. We interpret the sickle claw of dromaeosaurids as having evolved to do the same thing – latching in and holding on,” Museum of the Rockies paleobiologist Denver Fowler says.

It could be that Velociraptors used their larger claws to latch onto prey that was at least as big as they were. Smaller victims could be squeezed to death, but the larger one needed to be kept immobilized while the dinosaurs ate them alive, LiveScience reports.