# Velociraptors have eyes facing out not forward? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/velociraptors-have-eyes-facing-out-not-forward/538638 "2010-05-07T15:38:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/velociraptors-have-eyes-facing-out-not-forward/538638/1 "2010-05-07T15:38:28Z")
Going by reconstructions of velociraptors: [http://www.marieclaire.com/media/cm/marieclaire/images/Velociraptor\_6001.jpg](http://www.marieclaire.com/media/cm/marieclaire/images/Velociraptor_6001.jpg) [![](http://www.rareresource.com/photos/dino%20pictures/Velociraptor_5953.jpg) ](http://www.rareresource.com/photos/dino%20pictures/Velociraptor_5953.jpg) It appears that they have eyes on the side of their head, rather than facing forward. Is this accurate? Is it only a general rule that predators have forward-facing eyes and grazing animals have side-facing eyes? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/velociraptors-have-eyes-facing-out-not-forward/538638/2 "2010-05-07T16:26:17Z")
Dromaeosaurs are thought to have had front facing eyes, just further back in the head, because they had long snouts. Think something like the [Brown Falcon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_falcon1444.jpg). Here’s a drawing of a [velociraptor](http://www.badcoe.com/images/jcjcVelociraptor01.jpg)to give you some idea of what I mean, although his tail is too short. Here’s [another one](http://www.dinosaurfact.net/Pictures/Velociraptor.jpg) that’s probably more accurate. And just for fun, here’s a [velociraptor riding a velocipede](http://www.bicycle.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/velociraptor-480.png). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/velociraptors-have-eyes-facing-out-not-forward/538638/3 "2010-05-07T16:29:34Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Is it only a general rule that predators have forward-facing eyes and grazing animals have side-facing eyes? I think it may only apply to mammals? I can think of lots of non-mammalian predators without forward-facing eyes, from the hammerhead shark on down. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/velociraptors-have-eyes-facing-out-not-forward/538638/4 "2010-05-07T16:58:35Z")
_Velociraptor_, like most theropods, had eyes that were on the side of the head, but could face forward (that is, think of them as pointing more like 45 deg, rather than straight forward or straight out to the side). [Here](http://www.dinosauri.info/images/velociraptor_1.jpg) is an image with a more frontal-view of the skull. While this isn’t exactly accurate for the animal as a whole, the general skull structure is correct; note how the eyes point more-or-less forward, but also a bit out to the side. [Here](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Deinonychus_feathered.jpg) is a reconstruction of _Deinonychus_ which shows this, as well.