Dromaeosaurids, or dromaeosaurs, were small to medium sized Paravian theropods in the family Dromaeosauridae. Dromaeosaurs first appeared in the Middle Jurassic and evolved into many different forms; Some like the Microraptor were build to live in trees and had wings so they could glide, others like the Massive Austroraptor could reach lengths of 6 meters (20 feet) and had slender jaws to pluck fish out of rivers. Dromaeosauridae means "running lizards", in Greek with "δρομαῖος" ("dromaîos") meaning "running at full speed" or "swift", and "σαῦρος" ("saûros") meaning "lizard". Dromaeosaurs are often referred to as raptors (after Velociraptor), a name that was popularized by the film Jurassic Park; a handful of species directly include the term "raptor" in their name. Popular culture has recently come to emphasize their similarities to birds.
Dromaeosaurid fossils have been found on many continents, specifically North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America, some fossils that they inhabited Australia as well. The earliest confirmed Dromaeosaurid fossils date to the Early Cretaceous (145-140 million years ago), and they survived until the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction (Maastrichtian stage, 66 ma). Isolated teeth suggest that the first Dromaeosaurids appeared as early as the Middle Jurassic, however no body specimens have been found dating to this period.
The category that shows all the dromaeosaurids of the Jurassic Park franchise (including genetically-altered creatures containing dromaeosaurid DNA).
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