Dromaeosauridae (Noun)
Meaning
Swift-running bipedal dinosaurs.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Dromaeosauridae was a family of swift-running bipedal dinosaurs, mostly smaller in comparison to their larger carnivorous dinosaur cousins.
- The discovery of several individual Dromaeosauridae fossils, some of which were found with impressions of feathers, led researchers to conclude that many within the group were likely feathered.
- Many people mistakenly identify all swift bipedal predators as Dromaeosauridae due in large part to the impact of a famous film portraying one of its particularly well-known genus members as a featherless creature.
- Feathers may have provided the necessary insulation that Dromaeosauridae members required to maintain an elevated metabolism that would have suited swift hunting behaviors.
- Biologists studying the particular characteristics and evolutionary patterns of different animal families, including reptiles like those that were part of Dromaeosauridae, contribute greatly to our understanding of how traits have evolved over time.