Jurassic Park: Velociraptor Skeleton Bronze 1:8 Scale Statue

A blockbuster dinosaur echoed the portrayal in Jurassic Park and cemented the celebrity status of Deinonychus.

Fifty million years before the reign of the dinosaurs ended in the age of Tyrannosaurus rex, a smaller, more agile, pack-hunting predator was the most feared animal of its time. The sleek, dynamic, and deadly Deinonychus — famous for appearing as the Raptor alongside T. rex in Jurassic Park — is one of the most popular and well-known dinosaur species, as well as one of the rarest fossils. The name of this dinosaur translates to 'terrible claw', in reference to the killing claw on each of the dinosaur's feet.

You've likely encountered Deinonychus in Michael Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World, or the film adaptations directed by Steven Spielberg, albeit under the name of another species: Velociraptor. Crichton was drawn to the dramatic sound of the name, but in reality, Velociraptor was the size of a turkey, and its fossil remains have exclusively been found in Mongolia. The Raptor in the book and films was based on the larger, more aggressive Deinonychus from American sedimentary formations.