Dromaeosaurs: The Strange Carnivores of The Mesozoic Era
Dromaeosaurs represent one of the largest learning curves in all dinosaur groups. These maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs, members of the family Dromaeosauridae, are among the most famous and commonly depicted of all dinosaurs, and were one of the most widespread and successful theropod clades. The family was officially described and established by William D. Matthew and Barnum Brown in 1922, but at this point, many dromaeosaur genera were poorly understood. Dromaeosaurs at this time were portrayed as unobtrusive, generic predators, essentially like small versions of large theropods such as Tyrannosaurus. One man would swiftly change everything, however - American paleontologist John Ostrom. Ostrom was responsible for revolutionising humanity's understsanding of dinosaur posture and appearance, and it was his work on the famous dromaeosaur Deinonychus that sparked it all.