Velociraptor is a genus of small dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch. It was about 1.5 to 2.07 m (4.9 to 6.8 ft) long with a body mass around 14.1 to 19.7 kg (31 to 43 lb). Velociraptor was a bipedal carnivore with feathers, a long tail, and an enlarged sickle-shaped claw on each hindfoot; these claws are thought to have been used to tackle and restrain prey. It is distinguished from other dromaeosaurids by its long and low skull, with an upturned snout. One of the dinosaur genera most familiar to the general public (due to its prominent role in the Jurassic Park films), in actuality it was roughly the size of a turkey, considerably smaller than its depictions in novels and films. It is well known to paleontologists, with more than a dozen described fossil skeletons. One dramatic specimen preserves a Velociraptor locked in combat with a Protoceratops.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velociraptor

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1991:

The Madrid Conference, an attempt by the international community to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process through negotiations, convened. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Conference_of_1991

1993:

The Troubles: Three members of the Ulster Defence Association opened fire in a crowded pub during a Halloween party, killing eight people and wounding nineteen others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greysteel_massacre

2002:

Warren Zevon makes his last public appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, giving the advice to "enjoy every sandwich". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Zevon_on_the_Late_Show_with_David_Letterman_in_2002

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

embroil: 1. To bring (something) into a state of confusion or uproar; to complicate, to confuse, to jumble. 2. To cause (someone) to be drawn into or involved in a difficult situation or state of contention. 3. A state of confusion or uproar; a commotion, a disturbance; also, a quarrel. 4. A state of anxiety or disturbance of the mind. [...] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/embroil

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The best way I can describe it is: after the show was over, at a party or any — any kind social gathering, if one of us bumped into each other, that was it, that was the end of the night. We just sat with the person all night long — and that was it. You apologized to the people that you were with, but they had to understand you had met somebody special to you, and you were going to talk to that person for the rest of the night. And that's the way it worked. It's certainly the way it worked with all of us. It's just the way it is.   --Matthew Perry https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Matthew_Perry