In Little Birdies!, I assumed that heavy, pack-hunting predatory birds could and would do so by climbing into and diving from the treetops, should circumstances warrant. A recent study found that Velociraptor's claws were better suited for climbing than slashing at prey.
"Velociraptor and other dromaeosaurids were bipedal and lightweight and related to modern birds. A study in 2007 found Velociraptor had feathers, though it could not fly.
Stress tests showed the curved claws "were well-adapted for climbing as they would have been resistant to forces acting in a single (longitudinal) plane, in this case due to gravity," the scientists write in the journal Anatomical Record. "The tip of the claw functioned as the puncturing and gripping element," and the rest of the claw could have transferred the stress to bones."
Read the entire article here: Velociraptor Claws Made for Climbing.
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