dinosaur feathers Archives

Dromaeosaurus: Dinosaur Brought to Life in Colorful Sculpture

July 25, 2016July 26, 2016 Science Connecteddinosaur, dinosaur feathers

By Shayna Keyles @shaynakeyles David Alden is a sculptor who, in his latest project, combines his enthusiasm for paleontology and fine arts. Over the past two years he worked with a team to create a gorgeous life-sized sculpture of Dromaeosaurus albertensis, a dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what became the western United States and Alberta, Canada. I spoke with Alden about his motivations for undertaking such a project, how to fact-check a sculpture, and what’s next on the horizon. GotScience: What first inspired you to do…

Raptor Dinosaurs: Artist’s Digital and graphite restoration drawing of Velociraptor mongoliensis (By Matt Martyniuk GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

Paleontology Zoology

Friendly Neighborhood Raptor Dinosaurs

July 13, 2015April 28, 2021 Science ConnectedArchaeopteryx, dinosaur feathers, dinosaurs, raptors

Raptor dinosaurs large curved talons on the second toes of their feet. A similar feature is seen on some modern raptors such as eagles and hawks. Why? By Steven Spence Raptor dinosaurs, formally known as dromaeosaurids, had very large curved talons on the second toes of their feet. A similar feature is seen on some modern raptors (eagles and hawks), and some scientists believe this is an example of a similar functional evolution. Meet the Raptor Dinosaurs Instead of using the “killing claw” as a slashing weapon, as suggested in…