|
|
|
CHOICE GRADE DROMAEOSAUR "RAPTOR" KILLING TOE CLAW FROM HELL CREEK Hell Creek Formation - South Dakota, U.S.A. LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 96 - 66 million years ago Without a doubt, a RAPTOR KILLING CLAW is the most sought-after fossil amongst all dinosaur fossil collectors regardless of how advanced they are. Fossil claws of high quality preservation and size coming from the famous Hell Creek deposit in the United States are probably the most rare and therefore, the most valuable. For its astonishing array of dangerous and large prehistoric predator fossils, no place has captured more attention or has been featured on television more than Hell Creek! Dromaeosaur 'raptor' killing claws command the highest fossil prices of most dinosaur claws and are amongst the most requested dinosaur fossils. The majority are mostly pieced back together from fragments and require CONSIDERABLE restoration. This investment-grade specimen was found INTACT and unbroken, missing only 2 millimeters of the tip, likely broken off when the dinosaur was alive. This restoration to the final 2 mm of the tip is all we performed and the rest of the claw you see above is 100% genuine as found. It's fullness, lack of distortion or flattening, surface detail and natural dark brown color make this claw rank as the finest small raptor killing claw we ever sold. This claw displays spectacular natural detail with a perfectly preserved blood groove along with all surfaces in the finest preservation including a complete proximal end with blood vessel openings. Surface density is amazing, like the raptor just lost it yesterday running through the Cretaceous flood-plains of Northwestern USA. Definitely a RARE offering and a highly recommended prize predatory dinosaur fossil! The raptor this claw came from would have been from a dromaeosaur the size of the small raptors that attacked the little girl on the beach in the opening scene of Jurassic Park 2. WARNING: We are seeing more and more dinosaur claws (and teeth) offered on the market from the USA that are both, misidentified to the wrong dinosaur to gain greater profit (ie. T. rex or Deinonychus) or with extensive fabrication and/or repair yet, labeled as with "no restoration" or "no repair". While this fraud has existed in the past, it is with alarming increase now in North American dinosaur fossil claws and teeth. If you plan to spend ANY amount of money on such fossils, do your homework and research yourself, what the claw or tooth should look like if it truly comes from the stated dinosaur. Furthermore, when it comes to deceptive trade practices with regards to restoration and fabrication, it is IMPERATIVE to ONLY deal with a very knowledgeable dealer who has considerable and first-hand personal lab experience with all facets of fossil fabrication, restoration and repair in order to avoid becoming a victim of the ignorance and fraud that unfortunately plagues this business. If the dealer does not know how to do the lab work him or herself, they cannot effectively know what to look for on specimens that have been modified and therefore, lack the ability to accurately disclose to their customers, the truth, whether they want to or not. Expertly repaired and restored claws can fool all but the most trained eye and anyone that does not actually have extensive experience in fossil restoration, repair and preparation will likely not be able to tell the difference. Many of these claws are being sold at shows, in shops and on the internet as having "NO REPAIR and/or NO RESTORATION" which is simply untrue but the danger lies in the ignorant fossil dealer who is just repeating to their customer what their supplier told them rather performing the work themselves. Sadly, you also have dealers who do their own work and still operate under blatant fraud, so knowing the anatomical features of what a real claw or tooth from the stated dinosaur should look like is your best defense.
Recent discoveries in China have shown feathered species existed. This has revolutionized paleontologists' view of what not only these creatures could have looked like when alive, but of possible plumage on other therapod dinosaurs. Dromaeosaurs share other characteristics with birds and theories now place these vicious predators as being the earliest ancestors of birds. Dromaeosaurs first evolved in the Early Cretaceous and survived right up to the end of the Late Cretaceous suggesting they were adaptable and capable hunters, surviving such a prolonged period yet, remaining virtually unchanged in overall design.
FOSSIL RAPTOR KILLING CLAWS OF THIS GRADE FROM THE FAMOUS HELL CREEK FORMATION IN THE U.S.A. ARE AMONGST THE MOST IN-DEMAND FOSSILS OF ALL - THE PINNACLE OF A COLLECTION!!! .7" long on the dorsal curve SOLD DC6-100 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
|
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE DROMAEOSAUR "RAPTOR" FOSSILS FOR SALE |
|
THE HELL CREEK FORMATION OF NORTHWESTERN U.S.A. |
|
695 |
The
dromaeosaurs are popularly known (especially in the movie "Jurassic
Park") as "raptors", a group of fascinating extinct
creatures. Raptors ranged in size from the size of a small dog
on
up to 30 feet long! They are therapods that possessed specialized
features: a well-developed slashing talon on their second toe, a stiffened
tail, and large grasping hands.
The
"killing claw" of raptors was a terrifying and incredibly
efficient weapon. As they moved, it was held off the ground.
When the muscles of the toe were contracted, the claw swept down
quickly, providing for a powerful slash that may have been able to
disembowel prey swiftly. The stiffened tail would have been good
to stabilize the body while the grasping arms and jaws held onto the
prey for balance. Although there is no conclusive evidence for
this, it has been suggested that raptors could have performed leaps onto
large prey and used all four limbs to rip wounds in them. 
Raptors
were ferocious predators that some scientists believe hunted in packs
and attacked much larger dinosaurs by slashing their underbellies.
It is also believed that they were similar to lions in predatory
behavior, preferring ambushes and quick chases using their high
maneuverability along with strategic pack-hunting tactics. A human
could be torn to shreds by a pack of raptors in less than 30
seconds. 
