The dromaeosaurs were medium-sized carnivorous
dinosaurs of the Mid to Late Cretaceous Period, which were
often called raptors, meaning 'hunters' or 'thieves' _ They
include the well-known Velociraptor, the human-sized
Deinonychus, whose name means 'terrible claw', and the
larger, 5m-/16~ft-long Utabraptor, which had large eyes and
long, grasping hands. Most of these dinosaurs ran quickly
on their back legs and had ~trong arms with long-clawed
fingers. Dromaeosaurus was the first of the group to be
named, but it is among the least well known from the fossil
record. Remains of several Deinonychus have been found
together, indicating that it may have hunted in packs, as
the dinosaur version of today's
wolves. The exciting feature
of the group is the
'terrible claw' or
'killing claw'
on each
foot.