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EXHIBIT 06

Velociraptor

Velociraptor mongoliensis

A small predator whose famous fossil preserves an encounter with Protoceratops.

Evidence profile

TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST

Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.

01 / SCIENTIFIC RECONSTRUCTION

An animal, reconstructed

Feathered Velociraptor in side view, with wing-like arm feathers, a long fringed tail and raised second-toe claws.

A feathered reconstruction with wing-like arm feathers and enlarged second-toe claws. Feathered relatives support this interpretation for V. mongoliensis. The quill-knob fossil often cited as direct evidence has a questioned species assignment; a 2023 proposal that it represents another species remains preliminary. The exact plumage, colors and pose are interpretations. [2] [7] [8] [6]

Velociraptor Restoration — Fred Wierum. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; complete composition retained.

02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION

A cinematic imagination

Scaly featherless raptor in a dark forest, with a long level tail, grasping hands and a raised curved toe claw.

An original screen-style raptor with scaly skin and no visible feathers. Feathered relatives support a feathered reconstruction of V. mongoliensis, while the exact plumage remains inferred. The palms-down hands, colors, forest setting and pose are artistic choices. Neither picture establishes the animal's size, and they are not shown to the same scale. [2] [7] [8]

Original artwork · artistic interpretation.

Scientific view: credited paleoart interpreting fossil evidence. Movie-style view: Original artwork. Colors and many soft tissues are uncertain.

PERIODLate Cretaceous[1]
DIETCarnivoreInferred from related anatomy [2]
TOTAL LENGTHNot established hereComparable estimate unavailable
FOSSILS FOUNDMongolia, Gobi Desert[3]
CompareRead the dossierView the sources

MEET THE ANIMAL

Meet Velociraptor

Velociraptor mongoliensis was a small Late Cretaceous meat eater from Mongolia. Its enlarged curved foot claws, sharp teeth and bird-like proportions made it a very different animal from a huge tyrannosaur. Claw function needs testing rather than a movie-style explanation of every attack. The first species was named from Mongolian material, and evidence from another Velociraptor species should not automatically be assigned to this one. [S1]

Researchers reported bumps on a forearm bone where large feathers attach. These bumps are called quill knobs. The study provided evidence of feathered forelimbs in an animal historically identified as Velociraptor. A preserved attachment mark is a specific anatomical clue, rather than permission to invent any feather color or courtship display. [D3]

Later work corrected that fossil's specimen number to IGM 100/3503 and noted that its species identification was being studied again. [D4]

That distinction matters because the feature and the specimen's identity are separate questions. A small, feathered predator can be recognizable while individual fossils continue to be reassessed. Skeletal shape supports possible movements and feeding abilities, but a detailed hunting routine requires other evidence. Keeping the known bones, their proposed functions and the animal's taxonomic identity separate creates a more useful picture than assigning it a complete fictional daily life. [S1]

Overview sources
  1. Vicious Velociraptor: tales of a turkey-sized dinosaurNatural History Museum, London - Lisa Hendry · Accessed 2026-10-04Inspected: excerpt

PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER

A life in profile.

The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.

Velociraptor mongoliensis was a small, bird-like carnivore from Late Cretaceous Asia. It had grasping hands and enlarged foot claws; evidence historically attributed to Velociraptor also supports feathered forelimbs.

Profile scope: Species — Velociraptor mongoliensis

Time
Late Cretaceous
Fossil locations in this exhibit
Mongolia, Gobi Desert
How to read the evidence

Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.

A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.

Body length

Inferred

About 1.8 m (museum reference)

The museum card gives this approximate species reference. It does not identify a measured specimen, maturity assessment or population range. [D1]

Body mass

Inferred

About 18 kg (museum reference)

The museum card gives a rounded reconstruction estimate. The life stage and method are not specified. [D1]

Diet and feeding

Source supported

Meat eater

Sharp teeth and grasping anatomy support carnivory. Specific feeding tactics are interpretations of anatomy and fossils. [D2]

Habitat and setting

Source supported

Late Cretaceous Mongolia and China

These are the museum's listed fossil localities. Geographic occurrence is better established here than a uniform preferred habitat. [D1] [D2]

Movement

Inferred

Two-legged terrestrial movement

Long hindlimbs and non-volant proportions support terrestrial bipedal movement. Exact running speed is not established by these sources. [D2] [D3]

Distinctive anatomy

Source supported

Enlarged foot claws and bird-like forelimbs

Quill knobs were reported in a referred specimen later correctly numbered IGM 100/3503; its assignment was under renewed study in 2021. This does not establish whole-body plumage colors. [D1] [D3] [D4]

Reproduction & life together

Reproduction and nesting

Not established

Not established here

The inspected sources do not demonstrate a nest, clutch size or brooding event specifically for V. mongoliensis; proposed feather uses do not establish these behaviours.

Mating and courtship

Not established

Not established here

Reviewed sources do not establish V. mongoliensis courtship; possible feather display remains a functional suggestion.

Social behaviour

Not established

Not established here

Reviewed sources do not demonstrate coordinated pack hunting or a typical V. mongoliensis group size.

Dossier research & sources

Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.

  1. Velociraptor mongoliensisAmerican Museum of Natural History · Accessed 2026-10-02Species-level rounded museum size reference and enlarged foot claw · Inspected: page
  2. Dinosaur — Velociraptor mongoliensisAustralian Museum · Accessed 2026-10-02Species-level teeth, limbs and Asian occurrence · Inspected: page
  3. Velociraptor Had Feathers, Study ConfirmsAmerican Museum of Natural History · Accessed 2026-10-02Research team's account of Mongolian Velociraptor forearm quill knobs; historical attribution · Inspected: page
  4. A New Dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Coelurosauria) from Khulsan, Central MongoliaAmerican Museum Novitates; Napoli et al. (2021), author-uploaded full text · Accessed 2026-10-02Correction of the feather-bearing specimen number to IGM 100/3503 and renewed study of its species referral · Inspected: page

THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS

Meet Velociraptor.

Velociraptor mongoliensis had a lightly built body, long legs and fingers, sharp teeth and a large curved claw on each foot. AMNH gives about 1.8 metres as a species reference length. This is an approximate museum estimate, not a measured size range or an explicitly age-verified adult. Its name-bearing fossil is catalogued from Mongolia's Djadokhta rocks. [2] [1] [3]

The Fighting Dinosaurs specimen preserves V. mongoliensis and Protoceratops andrewsi together. Found in Mongolia in 1971, it shows the animals entangled, with a Velociraptor foot claw near the Protoceratops neck. This is direct evidence of interaction; a complete account of the encounter and the animals' burial is an interpretation. [4]

Feathers are supported by the animal's dromaeosaurid relationships, but direct evidence needs careful attribution. A 2007 study reported quill knobs on a fossil assigned to V. mongoliensis. A 2021 paper corrected its catalog number to IGM 100/3503 and noted that its assignment was under study. A 2023 conference abstract proposed that it may represent another species; this is a preliminary reassessment, not a formal revision. [7] [8] [6]

A note on scale and time

We have not established a comparable adult total-length estimate for this taxon in this draft. Specimen measurements in the text describe those individuals. A numerical age interval has not been reviewed here. Unknown does not mean zero.

Sources & editorial notes

Sources and evidence notes for this exhibit.

  1. Velociraptor mongoliensisAmerican Museum of Natural History · Accessed 2026-10-02Stats: explicitly names V. mongoliensis and gives length 1.8 m and mass 18 kg. Life stage, uncertainty and method unspecified. Discovery-history, China locality and 80 Ma statements were not used.
  2. Dinosaur - Velociraptor mongoliensisAustralian Museum · Accessed 2026-10-02Fast Facts; Identification; Fossils and evolutionary relationships. Used species-specific anatomy, carnivory and Dromaeosauridae classification; did not use broad age/locality as a species interval. Opened and read.
  3. Division of Paleontology: FR 6515American Museum of Natural History · Accessed 2026-10-02Catalog FR 6515; identification Velociraptor mongoliensis, Genotype, Preferred; Shabarakh Usu, Mongolia; Cretaceous; Djadochta. Opened and read.
  4. Fighting DinosaursAmerican Museum of Natural History · Accessed 2026-10-02Stats identify Velociraptor mongoliensis and Protoceratops andrewsi; Story describes 1971 discovery, fossil pose and Djadokhta Formation. Burial cause is presented by the museum as an interpretation. Opened and read.
  5. Velociraptor Had FeathersAmerican Museum of Natural History · Accessed 2026-10-022007 report of forearm quill knobs; used only as a historical report, not as secure species-specific direct evidence. Opened and read.
  6. Multiple unrecognized species of Velociraptor in the Velociraptor mongoliensis species complexSociety of Vertebrate Paleontology; Ruebenstahl et al. · Accessed 2026-10-022023 Program Guide, printed pp. 373–374, abstract by Ruebenstahl, Powers, Napoli, Chinzorig, Turner, Bhullar and Norell. Quill-knob specimen IGM 100/3503 is proposed as likely a new species. Preliminary original research abstract, not a formal revision. Opened and read.
  7. Feather Quill Knobs in the Dinosaur VelociraptorTurner, Makovicky & Norell, Science / author-posted original text · Accessed 2026-10-02p. 1721, main text and figure 1, DOI 10.1126/science.1145076. Original article read. Paper reports six ulnar quill knobs and individual 1.5 m/15 kg estimate under erroneous number IGM 100/981; use corrected number from Napoli et al. 2021.
  8. A New Dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Coelurosauria) from Khulsan, Central MongoliaNapoli, Ruebenstahl, Bhullar, Turner & Norell, American Museum Novitates / author-posted full text · Accessed 2026-10-02pp. 4–5, Note on Holotype Specimen, and p. 2, Introduction. DOI 10.1206/3982.1. Original author-posted text read; corrects quill-knob individual's catalog number to IGM 100/3503, retaining its then-current V. mongoliensis referral under renewed study. Kuru kulla itself is a different individual.

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