The Velociraptor and Deinonychus are both members of Dromaeosaurids (running-lizards). The Velociraptor has a long, low head. It is the Asian relative of the North American Deinonychus. Shared features are large retractable claws on the second toes, highly flexible arms, and a stiff tail used as a stabilizer. These features indicate that these animals were fierce and agile hunters. Their discoveries upset the long held notion that dinosaurs were slow moving animals.

Velociraptors lived in the Gobi Desert of the Late Cretaceous period. Although they were not the largest meat-eating animals of the time, they were the most formidable predators. Their deadly armory included big claws, fast speed, and group hunting strategies. They chased large plant-eaters, killing them by jumping directly onto their back and using their claws to slash the prey repeatedly until it fell down from over bleeding. This exhibit shows three Velociraptors attacking a Tsintaosaurus.