Utahraptor Research, Part 3: Weapons and how it used them during mating season

Weapons

Utahraptor had many extremely dangerous weapons to use in combat. Its first weapon was its brain. Utahraptor was a master strategist, and had a fairly expanded brain. Its second weapon it had were the claws on its hands. It used the claws to slash and rip apart its prey, and also to get to the good stuff once the prey animal had died. Its third combat weapon was its second toe, which was the deadly toe claw. Utahraptor would use its toe claw to stab its prey, possibly in the jugular vein or spine, causing paralysis and/or death. Its teeth in its jaws were also a crucial weapon, used to tear apart and eat a carcass. Its next weapon was crucial in the hunting process. Utahraptor’s tail was used for balance when it was bringing down a prey animal, and also when the animal was running.

How it used these weapons during mating season

During the mating season, Utahraptor males would probably become more aggressive towards each other. During the fight to find a female, however, the males were probably careful not to hurt each other. They might've grab onto each other’s shoulders and had a shoving match. Whoever fell to the ground first would be the loser, and he wouldn’t win the right to mate. Of course, sometimes they would snap at each other, but rarely would any of the males be seriously injured. In the case of two females in the group, the best two males would get to choose a female. Sometimes, a certain male could become unlucky all through its life. The shoving matches they had may not have always been safe. If the male who lost the match wasn’t happy, it may have gotten into a screeching match with the winner. And in some of these cases, the winner may challenge the loser to a real fight; one that has all the dangers; a fight to the death. Here is what a fight to the death may have looked like:
The losing Utahraptor and the winning Utahraptor are circling each other slowly. They are snarling and hissing at each other, trying to get the other to back down before things got ugly. But neither of them are backing down. Their pride as a Utahraptor is on the line if nobody backs down. At first, it looks as if the Utahraptor that isn’t going to mate is backing down. But then, he rams the other Utahraptor right in the stomach. The raptor falls to the ground, surprised. The winner then leaps to his feet and tackles the other Utahraptor. They start to roll in the dirt, clawing and biting at each other. Suddenly, there is a loud shriek of pain. The Utahraptor that had the right to mate has just stuck his toe claw in the other Utahraptor’s stomach! The victor decides to gloat by roaring loudly.