Despite its small size, this dinosaur is a real killing machine. Its hind legs have a 10 cm long, vertically curved claw, which allowed it to stab its prey. It aimed for the neck to pierce the trachea or the jugular vein. Some hypotheses indicate that it used this claw with its hind limbs to pin down prey before killing it with its jaw, a bit like birds of prey do with their talons.
Its jaw is made up of 80 sharp teeth. The tail was stiffened by bony tendons, which helped it to keep its balance whenever it reared up to leap on its prey.
It is believed that they hunted in groups so they could go after larger prey. Their hunting techniques were quite advanced, such as surrounding the prey, a bit like lions do. Very fast, it was likely able to run at speeds from 40 to 60 km/h.
It also seems that it was covered with a layer of feathers. Indeed, by comparing the fossils of Archaeopteryx and Velociraptor, researchers were able to identify traces of feathers. Since it could not fly, the feathers must have been used for thermoregulation, courtship displays, or even brooding.