Zoom Dinosaurs DINOSAUR QUESTIONS

Q: How long was the Ultrasauros?
from Abhishek, Mortdale, NSW, Australia; November 9, 1998

A: Estimates vary from 82-100+ feet long (25-30 m) and about 52 feet (15 m) tall. For more information on Ultrasauros, click here. Q: Dear JC
Could you please send us any information you might have on the Ultrasaurus. It was discovered by Dinosaur Jim-James Jensen in 1979 and is supposed to be one of the largest ever found.
Thank-you absher5674
March 25, 1998

A: James A. Jensen discovered part of an incredibly huge sauropod ( a brachiosaurid) in the western USA in 1979 and named it Ultrasaurus in 1985 (meaning "Ultra lizard"). It was renamed "Ultrasauros machintoshi" because there was already another dinosaur named Ultrasaurus (a smaller, early Cretaceous sauropod found in South Korea and named by Haang Mook Kim in 1983).

Jensen's "Ultrasauros" lived during the late Jurassic period, and was one of the largest land animals ever discovered. It was a four-legged plant eater with a long, giraffe-like neck held high, a sloping back, a tiny head, and a medium-length tail. Estimates of its size vary since only a very incomplete fossil was found. Estimates vary from 82-98 feet long (25-30 m), about 52 feet (15 m) high, and a weight of 55 to 130 tons. "Ultrasauros machintoshi" may actually be a just very large example of Brachiosaurus or perhaps even Supersaurus, and not a new genus. When more fossils are found, this can be cleared up.

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Q: Can you show me a picture of ultrasaourus?
from Marc I. G. C., Rizal, Philippines; September 13, 1997

A: Ultrasauros was a brachiosaurid Sauropod that was roughly 100 feet long (30 m), weighed 30-50 tons, and lived in the Jurassic period. Brachiosaurids were huge sauropods that had nostrils on the top of their heads and elongated forelimbs. Other brachiosaurids include Brachiosaurus and Seismosaurus, also giants.

Ultrasauros was found in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of western Colorado, USA, by J. A. Jensen in 1985.

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Q: How big was Ultrasauros.
from Sara, Green Cove Springs, FL, USA; September 4, 1998

A: Ultrasauros was over 100 feet (30 m) long and over 80 tons in weight. For more information on Ultrasauros, click here.

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Q: What does a Unenlagia comahuensis look like? What are its features, by discribing it?
from Emily, Westboro, MA, USA; April 12, 1998

A: For an information sheet on Unenlagia, click here.

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Q: Thank you for the information sheet on the Utahraptor. One question I still have about the Utahraptor is How high could it jump and how far?
from Kevin K., Levittown, PA, USA; September 22, 1998

A: I don't know and I've never see any estimates. There is a section on dinosaur locomation in the section on "Anatomy and Behavior" which explains how speeds are estimated. Jumping height would be even more complex and approximate.

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Q: How many babies did the Utahraptor have? How were they cared for?
from Adam J., Bloomington, Indiana, USA; November 23, 1998

A: No one knows.

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Q: how deadly was the Utahraptor?
from ??; May 4, 1998

A: Utahraptor was a very deadly predator; it was a speedy, bird-like predators armed with huge claws, sharp teeth, and wing-like arms that gave it more stability and mobility during a chase. For an information sheet on Utahraptor, click here.

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Q: Describe the habitat for the velociraptor. What is his defence mechanisms?
from Kelly S., Winston-Salem, NC, USA; December 6, 1998

A: For information on Velociraptor, click here. For info on its habitat, click on the time period in which it lived (within the information sheet on Velociraptor).

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Q: how tall was the Velociraptor?
from Matthew C., Canberra, act., Australia; December 5, 1998

A: Velociraptor was about 3 feet tall (1 m). For more information on Velociraptor, click here.

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Q: How long was a Velociraptor? How tall was a Velociraptor?
from Drew B., Dubuque, IA, USA; December 3, 1998

A: For information on Velociraptor, click here.

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Q: What is the total number of bones found in the Velociraptor?
from Betty C., Chicago, Ill, USA; December 3, 1998

A: I don't know the exact bone count, but many almost complete fossilized Velociraptor skeletons (including adults and juveniles) have been found.

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Q: Was Utahraptor ostrommaysi built more like Velociraptor mongoliensis or Deinonychus?
from Daala R., Troy, VA, USA; October 6, 1998

A: Deinonychus. Velociraptor had a flatter snout. They were all dromaeosaurids with a similar body shape and a retractible, sickle-shaped, middle toe claw. Utahraptor was much bigger (about 20 feet long); Velociraptor was about 6 feet long and Deinonychus was about 10 feet long.

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Q: I have some questions about UTHARAPTORS. 1.How big was a utahraptor 2.How much did they weigh? 3.How far and how high could they jump? 4.Where did they live? 5.What color were they? and Do you think each utahraptor looked exactly the same or did they have different colors?
from Kevin K., Levittown PA, USA; September 20, 1998

A: For an information sheet on Utahraptor, click here. As to question #5, no one knows what colors any of the dinosaurs were.

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Q: I'm doing a report on the Utahraptor can you please give me some info on it.
from Eric, Meridian, ID, USA; April 30, 1998

A: For an information sheet on Utahraptor, click here.

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Q: what was the life span of the velociraptor?
from Dustin D., La Palma, CA, USA; March 31, 1998

A: Estimating a dinosaur's life-span is guesswork. It depends on a lot of factors including whether they were warm-blooded or cold-blooded (and this controversy has not been settled). Also, most dinosaurs, like other wild creatures, die long before their optimal age from attacks, disease, injuries, natural disasters, etc. I've never seen an estimate of Velociraptor's life-span.

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Q:Did Velociraptor mean "Speedy Plunder","Speedy Predator", or " Speedy Thief? Was Velociraptor 6 Feet tall?
from Ryan P., Milford, NJ, USA; Feb. 16, 1998

A:Raptor, according the to Random House unabridged dictionary, comes from a Latin word that means, "one who seizes by force, or a robber." Velociraptor was about 6 feet long (2 m), and 3 feet tall (1 m).

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Q: What are some of the special features of the Velociraptor?
from Daniel, Rosthern, ?; May 5, 1998

A: For information on Velociraptor, click here.

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Q:Was Velociraptor as deadly as Deinonychus? Could a pack of Velociraptors kill a Tyrannosaurus rex? Did Velociraptor run 60mph?
from Ryan P., Milford, NJ, USA; Feb. 15, 1998

A: Deinonychus was bigger and had larger claws, so it probably was deadlier. A pack of Velociraptors could probably inflict enough wounds on a T. rex to make it bleed to death. Velociraptors were very fast runners, and could probably run about as fast as ostriches, who can run about 40-45 mph.

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Q: Is there a difference between a raptor and a Velociraptor?
from Max S., Sewickley, PA, USA; September 25, 1998

A: Yes. In the movie Jurassic Park, they said raptor to mean Velociraptor (and also made it a lot bigger than it really was). This, however, is not standard. Scientifically, raptor refers to birds of prey; only a few paleontologists use 'raptor' to refer to dinosaurs (and they usually mean the bird-like dromaeosaurids, which include Dromaeosaurus, Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor, etc.).

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Q: what is the velociraptor's habitat? What else is interesting to know about the velociraptor?
from John M., LaPalma, CA, USA; March 31, 1998

A: Velociraptor lived during the very warm late Cretaceous period. Fossils have been found in what is now Mongolia (in the Gobi desert), Russia, and China. Velociraptor preyed upon animals like Protoceratops and Maiasaura, medium-sized plant-eaters that must have stayed near lots of vegetation because they needed to eat hundreds of pounds of plants each day - so Velociraptor must have hunted for them in relatively lush areas. For more information on Velociraptor, click here.

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Q: Question One: Are Velociraptors the fastest dinosaurs?
Question Two: What was the Velociraptors speed?
Question Three: Was Velociraptor faster and stronger than T-Rex?
Question Four: Could you please give me more information on the Velociraptor?
Question Five: What musuem has the Velociraptor skeleton?
from Ryan P., Milford, NJ, USA; September 15, 1997

A: 1. The speediest dinosaurs were bird-like bipedal carnivores (Theropods) with long, slim hind-limbs and light bodies. Velociraptor (meaning swift robber) was certainly among the fastest dinosaurs.
2. Dinosaur speeds are deduced from fossilized trackway finds, and from looking at the dinosaurs' morphology (shape and structure). Exact speeds are not known, but most scientists agree that dinosaurs were not any faster than modern animals. Finding a similarly built modern animal is a good way to estimate some dinosaurs' speeds.
3. Velociraptor was about 6 feet long (1.8 m); T. rex was about 45 feet tall (14 m). They both had vicious teeth and claws. T. rex had a tremendous size advantage, but Velociraptor was probably a lot faster. They both lived in the late Cretaceous period. T. rex fossils have been found in North America, and a Velociraptor fossil has been found in the Gobi Desert in Asia (in a death grip with Protoceratops). During the Mesozoic, the supercontinent of Pangaea was breaking up, so they may never have met.
4. Velociraptor was a Dromeosaur (small, bipedal, sickle-clawed foot, fast, agile, bird-like Theropods which include Deinonychus and Dromaeosaurus). It had a long, narrow head, sharp teeth, 3-fingered clawed hands, and 4-toed clawed feet with one claw really huge and sickle-shaped. It had a stiff tail for counterbalance and agility in turning. It must have been a very efficient predator and may have hunted in packs.
5. I don't know. There aren't many Velociraptor fossils.

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Q: i am doing a reprt on velociraptors and could you please give me a LOT of info on him
from Edward L., East Lansing, MI, USA; November 17, 1998

A: For an information sheet on Velociraptor, click here.

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Q: who jumped farther veliciraptor deinoychus or utahraptor
from ?, USA; November 17, 1998

A: Utahraptor, because it was a much bigger dinosaur (about 20 feet long) than Velociraptor or Deinonychus

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Q: How does the way the Velociraptor look effect the way it lived?
from Ian O., Norfolk, and Jeremy O., Norwalk, New York, USA; November 17, 1998

A: The anatomy of an organism always affects the way it lives, including its diet, habitat, reproduction, etc. For example, carnivores like Velociraptor were built to catch and eat other animals. They couldn't survive on a vegetarian diet (because their digestive systems most likely couldn't process enough plant material to keep them alive). Size is another fator that affects how an animal lives. For a carnivore, it determines what size animal it can prey upon, how much it needs to eat, and metabolic rates (small animal have to generate more heat per pound than larger animals do because they lose heat quickly (they have a high surface area: volume ratio; for example, see Gigantothermy in the Dinosaur Dictionary).

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Q: . Was Velociraptor one of the smartest,fastest,and deadliest dinosaurs ever? 2. What did Velociraptor use the sickle claw on both of it's feet for? 3. Was Velociraptor's sickle claw 5 inches long in real life?
from Ryan P., Stewertsville, New Jersey, USA; November 21, 1998

A: See the page on Velociraptor.

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Q: Who named the Velociraptor? thanks
from Ian O., Norfolk, New York, USA; November 17, 1998

A: Henry F. Osborn in 1924. FOr me information on Velociraptor, click here.

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Q:How tall was the Velociraptor?
from Daniel, Boone, IA, USA; Feb. 5, 1998

Q:Is a Velociraptor taller or is a Dienonychis taller?
from Alex F., Newville, Pennsylvania, USA; Feb. 4, 1998

A: Velociraptor was about 3 feet tall and 6 feet long. Dienonychis was 5 feet tall and 10 feet long and had a much bigger skull than Velociraptor.

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Q:I am looking for a description of the velociraptor. Please help! I am in school and need this information very soon for a speech.
from Chris W., Toronto, Ontario, CA; Feb. 10, 1998

A:Velociraptor (meaning "speedy thief") was a bipedal carnivore ( a theropod) from the Cretaceous period. It had about 30 very sharp, curved teeth in a flat snout, long thin legs, and arms with three-fingered hands. One claw on each foot was huge and deadly. Velociraptor was certainly among the fastest of the dinosaurs. It was about 6 feet long and 3 feet tall. Fossils have been found in Mongolia.

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Q:My son is researching information on the Velociraptor and we are finding conflicting information on the WEIGHT,HEIGHT,and LENGTH. Could you please help!!!! Info needed by Thursday night Feb 12th. We thought this would be easy.. One source said weight was 30lbs and another said 213lbs. Which is it closer to?? Height varies from 2.6ft to 6ft. Length varies from 6-8ft.. Can you give us more accurate information along with your resource?
from dave f., Bel Air, MD, USA; Feb. 11, 1998

A: Getting exact average statistics on dinosaurs is difficult and often misleading. For species in which there have been hundreds of fossils found (like Protoceratops), paleontologists can determine which form of the fossil is an adult, and then calculate the average adult size. For rarer species (like Velociraptor), an average size is inaccurate at best. For even rarer species which have only one incomplete fossil, these size figures may be very misleading, or even wrong.

Given this caveat, Velociraptor was probably about 6 feet long and 3 feet tall (this is verified in every text I looked at today, including Dr. M. Burton's "Dinosaur Fact Finder"). As to its weight, I can't find any reliable reference. 30 pounds seems too light for an animal of that size, but 200 pounds seems too heavy. Think of your last big Thanksgiving turkey, add in the blood, guts, and other missing parts. This gets you to well over 30 pounds, and Velociraptor was a bit bigger than a turkey, had a much larger skull, and huge claws (which must have been quite heavy).

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Q: Where did the dinosaur Velociraptor live when it was alive, and what kind of envirnment was it?
from Jane F., Columbia, NJ, USA; March 11, 1998

A: Velociraptor fossils have been found in Mongolia, China, and Russia. Velociraptor lived during the Cretaceous period, a time that was warmer than it is now, but also a time of increased volcanic activity and continental movement; the continents had almost taken on their modern-day form. For more information on Velociraptor, click here.

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Q: I am looking for extensive information on the Wuerhosaurus. Could you please help me? I would like to know how long it was, what it ate, what period it lived in , etc.
from Marcus G., Plainview, TX, USA; September 8, 1998

A: Wuerhosaurus was a late Stegosaurid dinosaur that was found in Wuerho, China. It was about 25 feet (7.5 m) long and was similar to Stegosaurus, but had smaller plates and front legs. It was a plant-eater that lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 138-125 million years ago. Wuerhosaurus was named in 1973 by the Chinese dinosaurologist Dong Zhiming.

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Q: I need info on dinosaurs that start with the letters Z, W and J. Please help me!!! I really need a picture and information for the following dinosaurs: Zigongosaurus and one with a W as the first letter I need this as soon as possible! Thank you
from ???; May 23, 1998

A: Click here for an information sheet on Zigongosaurus.

Wannanosaurus (named after the Chinese province where its very incomplete skeleton was found) was a tiny homalocephalid dinosaur about 2 feet (60 cm) long. It was a very primitive Pachycephalosaur (related to Pachycephalosaurus and Stegoceras, other dinosaurs with thick skulls that probably engaged in head-butting activities). The homalocephalids had thick, but flat-topped skulls. It was an herbivore (a plant-eater) that walked on two strong legs, had short arms, a stiff tail, and a thick-set body. (Its resembles Pachycephalosaurus , but it was much smaller and its head was much flatter.) It lived during the late Cretaceous period.

Jaxartosaurus was a hadrosaurid (a duck-billed dinosaur) found near the Jaxartes River in Kazakhstan. Only an incomplete skeleton was found. For more information on the duck-billed dinosaurs, click here.

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