Velociraptor mongoliensis (pronounced /vɛ.ˌla.sɪ.ˈręp.tər/, or approximately veh-LOSS-ih-RAP-tor) meaning "swift thief", referring to its speed and grasping hands (Latin velocis = swift + raptor = thief) was a small, agile, and slender theropod dinosaur species from the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian age), with a slightly up-curved skull and large sickle-shaped claws on the hyperextendible second toe of each foot. They are commonly known as raptors, a name which can also refer to other dromaeosaurids