Hmm...Velociraptor is a theropod dinosaur. I think you're confusing them with pterosaurs, which weren't really reptiles, either. (Anything covered in downy fuzz that is warm-blooded simply doesn't fit the definition of a reptile, regardless of its skeletal structure. They really need to go back over the taxonomy of the entire tree at this point. We don't call mammals 'synapsid reptiles', after all, even though they evolved from them).
Velociraptor was warm-blooded and had feathers.
For that matter, there's reason to believe that even baby T-Rexes were covered in downy feathers. Chances are VERY high that feathers evolved extremely early, because endothermy produces a real need for insulation.
Some of the largest dinosaurs didn't have feathers as adults (we have skin imprints), but then, rhinos and elephants don't have much hair, so it's understandable. A large body mass makes losing heat a priority over retaining it.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010...8291283989539/
http://www.geeksugar.com/Dinosaur-Fe...Amber-19132800
It only makes sense--dinosaurs lived pretty much everywhere, including the rainforests of Antarctica, which got pretty cold in the winter. A small warm-blooded animal, or one that lives in regions that get cold, needs to be able to conserve its body heat, which means it needs to have insulation. There are only really 4 types of insulation that animals have evolved--fur/hair (synapsids/mammals), pycnofibers (what pterosaurs had--they were diapsids), feathers (diapsids/dinosaurs/birds), and a layer of thick fat (blubber).
Anyone else as nerdy as me about dinosaurs will get a kick over this, if they haven't seen it before:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ers-science/o/
Reptiles don't require insulation, because they are ectothermic. Insulation would be detrimental--they need to be able to absorb and release heat quickly when necessary.
I believe that the 'velociraptors' in Jurassic Park were scaled up in size to make them scarier, but before the film was even released, a huge raptor dinosaur was discovered--not deinonychus, but Utahraptor, a new one that was even larger (about twice the size of deinonychus). The actual velociraptor was little larger than a turkey.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...omie_scale.png
On the other hand, Utahraptor may simply be a bit too big.
There are plenty of other 'raptors' left to be discovered, and a variety of in-between sizes as well.
I still maintain that keeping a raptor dinosaur would be similar to keeping a cassowary (apart from diet).
http://www.odditycentral.com/wp-cont...8/04/bird2.jpg
Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion
Hmm...Velociraptor is a theropod dinosaur. I think you're confusing them with pterosaurs, which weren't really reptiles, either. (Anything covered in downy fuzz that is warm-blooded simply doesn't fit the definition of a reptile, regardless of its skeletal structure. They really need to go back over the taxonomy of the entire tree at this point. We don't call mammals 'synapsid reptiles', after all, even though they evolved from them).
