Dromaeosaurs

Dromaeosauridae is a family of feathered theropod dinosaurs. They were small- to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek dromeus (δρομευς) meaning 'runner' and sauros (σαυρος) meaning 'lizard'. In informal usage they are often called raptors (after Velociraptor), a term popularized by Jurassic Park; a few types include the term "raptor" directly in their name and have come to emphasize their supposed birdlike habits.

Dromaeosaurid fossils have been found across the globe in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Antarctica, with fossilized teeth giving credence to the possibility that they inhabited Australia as well. They first appeared in the Middle Jurassic Period (late Bathonian stage, about 167 million years BC) and survived until the end of the Cretaceous (Maastrichtian stage, 66 million BC), existing for over 100 million years, up until the Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction Event. The presence of dromaeosaurids as early as the Middle Jurassic has been confirmed by the discovery of isolated fossil teeth, though no dromaeosaurid body fossils have been found from this period.