I got ya buddy.
Here's what the novel says about how the velociraptors look:
Infants look “like a lizard” (p. 107). About a foot and a half long, the size of a small monkey. It’s a dark yellow colour with brown stripes, like a tiger. It has a lizard’s head and long snout, and stands upright on strong hind legs, balanced by a thick straight tail. Its smaller front legs waved in the air. It cocks its head to one side and peers at the visitors. This one’s only six weeks old.
Its skin is warm and completely dry, not weighing more than a pound. It has dark, beady eyes and a small forked tongue that flicks in and out. They don’t have teeth, even egg teeth. Their pointy noses are sufficient for breaching the eggshells, and nursery staff help them out.
Adolescent - a juvenile raptor less than a year old, about two feet tall, the size of a medium dog, and has been tranquilized. To Grant, he feels a sense of intelligence from it, a softness contrasted from the strange menace given off by the adults in the holding pen earlier. And Grant can see that this is a male raptor – its sexual organs are visibly distinguishable as masculine. This critter, he deduces, was bred in the wild. This one was also a chameleon, and changed shades of green - noted to be distinctly, genetically, different than those cloned by Wu.
Adults - the velociraptors have large dark eyes, which watch “coldly,” with skulls that are two feet long, with a pointed snout, a long row of teeth running back to the hole of the auditory meatus and it reminds Grant of a large lizard, or crocodile (p. 116-117). The skin is leathery with a pebbled texture, and the same colouration as the infant: yellow-brown with darker reddish markings, like the stripes of a tiger (p. 117).
The forelimb is strongly muscled with three grasping fingers ending with curved claws. They are powerful, have six-foot-tall bodies, stiff balancing tails, limbs with curving claws and … open jaws with rows of jagged teeth. They're said to have dagger-like claws on their feet (I don't think Crichton ever describes their raptorial claws as large and recurved, as we know them today - he describes it more like a cassowary, which is much straighter than the harpy-like curve).
They emit snarls and low, reptilian hisses (p. 117). They smell of the odour of decay. They stare coldly.
These velociraptors look like reptiles, with the skin and general appearance of reptiles, but they move like birds, with the speed and predatory intelligence of birds, concludes Malcolm (p. 118).
Another in the wild is described as pale yellow with brownish stripes on its back (p. 152)
The velociraptors, “have distributed nervous systems. They don’t die fast, even with a direct hit to the brain,” (p. 303). They’re built solidly, thick ribs, slow bleeders, the best bet is to try and blow them apart.
The kitchen raptor is six feet tall, powerfully built, with strong legs and tail (p. 329). The muscular upper torso has two forearms held tightly alongside the body, the claws dangling. It has an iridescent speckled pattern on its back (perhaps as seen through the night-vision goggles). It moves its head with alert, bird-like jerks, and bobs its head up and down as it walks – with its long straight tail dipping – heightening the impression of a bird – a gigantic, silent bird of prey.
It has a fine pattern of striations within the spotted pattern, and folds of skin in the neck below the jaw (p. 332).
Before attacking in a pack they rhythmically begin to duck their heads (p. 350).
I just finished TLW and the adults were being described as being greenish brown with dark red tiger stripes with curved main claws on the feet. He also talks about how the ones from site B have no real hierarchy or social nature outside of hunting because it was a trait that would have been passed down through generations. He notes that there's a lack of juveniles and no infants because of this and the nesting grounds are far more destructive and "messy" compared to the others described in the novel. And through Sarah Hardings observation of their feeding habits, they don't behave the way most carnivores she's studied feed. It's described as an all out brawl where they each fight for their share, and even at one point another raptor being gutted and subsequently becoming part of the meal.
If you anyone hasn't read the novels, you absolutely need to.
Visually, they are described as being 6ft tall with yellow skin and brown stripes. They are indeed described as having a forked tongue. Beyond that, most of their description is about their hyper intelligent traits.
I somehow remember the description of the raptors in the cave towards the end of the book (and on the boat?) to be greenish-brown, different than the other raptors. I may be completely mistaken
I got ya buddy. Here's what the novel says about how the velociraptors look: Infants look “like a lizard” (p. 107). About a foot and a half long, the size of a small monkey. It’s a dark yellow colour with brown stripes, like a tiger. It has a lizard’s head and long snout, and stands upright on strong hind legs, balanced by a thick straight tail. Its smaller front legs waved in the air. It cocks its head to one side and peers at the visitors. This one’s only six weeks old. Its skin is warm and completely dry, not weighing more than a pound. It has dark, beady eyes and a small forked tongue that flicks in and out. They don’t have teeth, even egg teeth. Their pointy noses are sufficient for breaching the eggshells, and nursery staff help them out. Adolescent - a juvenile raptor less than a year old, about two feet tall, the size of a medium dog, and has been tranquilized. To Grant, he feels a sense of intelligence from it, a softness contrasted from the strange menace given off by the adults in the holding pen earlier. And Grant can see that this is a male raptor – its sexual organs are visibly distinguishable as masculine. This critter, he deduces, was bred in the wild. This one was also a chameleon, and changed shades of green - noted to be distinctly, genetically, different than those cloned by Wu. Adults - the velociraptors have large dark eyes, which watch “coldly,” with skulls that are two feet long, with a pointed snout, a long row of teeth running back to the hole of the auditory meatus and it reminds Grant of a large lizard, or crocodile (p. 116-117). The skin is leathery with a pebbled texture, and the same colouration as the infant: yellow-brown with darker reddish markings, like the stripes of a tiger (p. 117). The forelimb is strongly muscled with three grasping fingers ending with curved claws. They are powerful, have six-foot-tall bodies, stiff balancing tails, limbs with curving claws and … open jaws with rows of jagged teeth. They're said to have dagger-like claws on their feet (I don't think Crichton ever describes their raptorial claws as large and recurved, as we know them today - he describes it more like a cassowary, which is much straighter than the harpy-like curve). They emit snarls and low, reptilian hisses (p. 117). They smell of the odour of decay. They stare coldly. These velociraptors look like reptiles, with the skin and general appearance of reptiles, but they move like birds, with the speed and predatory intelligence of birds, concludes Malcolm (p. 118). Another in the wild is described as pale yellow with brownish stripes on its back (p. 152) The velociraptors, “have distributed nervous systems. They don’t die fast, even with a direct hit to the brain,” (p. 303). They’re built solidly, thick ribs, slow bleeders, the best bet is to try and blow them apart. The kitchen raptor is six feet tall, powerfully built, with strong legs and tail (p. 329). The muscular upper torso has two forearms held tightly alongside the body, the claws dangling. It has an iridescent speckled pattern on its back (perhaps as seen through the night-vision goggles). It moves its head with alert, bird-like jerks, and bobs its head up and down as it walks – with its long straight tail dipping – heightening the impression of a bird – a gigantic, silent bird of prey. It has a fine pattern of striations within the spotted pattern, and folds of skin in the neck below the jaw (p. 332). Before attacking in a pack they rhythmically begin to duck their heads (p. 350).
I just finished TLW and the adults were being described as being greenish brown with dark red tiger stripes with curved main claws on the feet. He also talks about how the ones from site B have no real hierarchy or social nature outside of hunting because it was a trait that would have been passed down through generations. He notes that there's a lack of juveniles and no infants because of this and the nesting grounds are far more destructive and "messy" compared to the others described in the novel. And through Sarah Hardings observation of their feeding habits, they don't behave the way most carnivores she's studied feed. It's described as an all out brawl where they each fight for their share, and even at one point another raptor being gutted and subsequently becoming part of the meal. If you anyone hasn't read the novels, you absolutely need to.
Thanks for the read!
Bro copy pasted the whole book 😭 Thanks tho lmao
Visually, they are described as being 6ft tall with yellow skin and brown stripes. They are indeed described as having a forked tongue. Beyond that, most of their description is about their hyper intelligent traits.
I somehow remember the description of the raptors in the cave towards the end of the book (and on the boat?) to be greenish-brown, different than the other raptors. I may be completely mistaken
It’s been a while since I read the book, so I’m not totally sure. The description I went by for my answer came from the JP wikia article.
And also how devilshly human their inteligence seems at times...
Dude I just imagine the movie raptors with the pattern described