Raptor Memory and Socialization
In the Jurassic Park movies, the most debated and talked up point is Velociraptor intelligence. When character’s talk about this though, the thing that most often gets brought up is their memory.
Robert Muldoon said “The Big One” organized the other raptors to attack the electrified fences, but never in the same place twice because “they remember.” We also see them having a personal vendetta against him - letting Ellie go so they could distract and corner him; then, instead of leaping out for the attack, shoving their face out of the foliage slowly, teeth bared in a terrible facsimile of a smile just long enough to let him know he was dead before attacking. There’s also the fandom idea that the raptors remembered how to open doors from watching people do it.
Owen Grady was extremely concerned about anyone attacking the raptors all through Jurassic World, even stating “these animals will never trust me again”. And later of the Indominous, that she remembered where they put the tracker in.
So, I suggest Velociraptors have eidetic memory.
They see or experience something once or twice and remember it forever. If this is a species trait, then it must serve a purpose - likely the development of social norms and attachment.
Which may be the source of the arguable insanity of the JP1 raptors. Imprinted at birth on a man that was never around and raised in a white, sterile environment alone - constantly being tested and experimented on by humans for the first developmental 8-10 months of their life - they did not have the memories they needed to be functional, but they did remember door knobs that turned before humans entered. They were basically sociopathic serial killers. “The Big One” gained dominance with murder and intimidation - killing off ten other raptors to form an elite group who obeyed her every command. They functioned as a hunting unit from hate and obedience, not true cooperation.
In JP2 we have velociraptors most similar to their cannibalistic book counterparts. These ones were raised the same way as the JP1 raptors, but escaped once the compound shut down. They’ve had some time in the jungles away from confinement to stretch their legs. Still insane though. They are barely functional as a unit - several times only seeming to be going after the same target by coincidence rather than design and attacking each other when they get in the way. One may even have killed another after a collision when they both attacked Sarah Harding. These raptors act essentially like an angry mob - all after the same goal, but in an uncoordinated frenzy; each entity is entirely, unpredictably independent of the other. Their single-minded pursuit of humans is strange for even an intelligent animal. They take ridiculous risks, step into unfamiliar, confined areas and shaky footing to get at them. I suggest this may have come more from remembering the needles and reverting to the maddened violence of the JP1 raptors than from wanting easy prey.
With JP3 we begin to see functional raptors. Considering the time that’s passed, these are probably second or even third generation raptors. Ones who grew up free with adults to teach and guide them. They’ve grown up seeing other raptors coordinating, even if by accident, and learned from it. They call for help, they set traps, they track and pursue - they have rudimentary strategy and tactics. They are working together very effectively. Despite this, they are the least menacing of the original three movie’s Velociraptors. To me this is because they have reason. They are working together properly for a defined goal, not mindless murder for it’s own sake. The grudge these ones have against humans is immediate - they stole the eggs. And once they get the eggs back, they focus first on returning them to the nest instead of ripping into the humans. Probably they would have done a nasty job of shredding Grant and the Kirby’s in another second if not for the helicopters, but they prioritized the safety of the eggs over vengeance.
Then we get the Jurassic World raptors. They’re raised in a lab, but with soft blankets and wooden balls with jingly bells inside to play with and a single human who is involved in and dedicated to their care and socialization. This is like tigers raised in foster care before they’re released to a preserve or into the wild. Very much healthy, properly socialized Velociraptors, but with an added familiarity with humans. Blue is singular and special in her empathetic actions though. Part of this is clearly in her nature, but part is clearly also learned from Owen for the simple fact the other raptors don’t even consider them. She got hurt or broke a toy and was sad, and Owen made soothing sounds and rubbed her head, which made it better. So. when she heard him making sad sounds and covering his face, instead of going for a possible easy win at a dominance reordering, she approached and made soft sounds and nuzzled at him the way she remembered. The other raptors haves a typical raptors more militant and hierarchical mindset, (and rather than the comfort of a petting hand they remember it’s softness and how easily it tore under their teeth and claws and know they could win a fight). I think they’re all a bit frustrated at their confinement, but are at least tolerating certain humans because their lives are enriched and comfortable and well socialized.
I like the theory that Owen was always the alpha for this. That the raptors started attacking the humans because they were attacked first and that the look back at Owen was to get new orders after finding their target and being confused by it talking to them. Before the shots are fired, they don’t have a reason to betray Owen, and even after that, I don’t believe they do because they’ve seen him talking down and getting in the way when other humans start pointing electric prods and tranquilizer guns to protect them during the movie. He definitely did it before, probably very often once they started approaching their lethal to humans 6-8 month mark. They would have seen it and remembered it. They know Owen is on their side.
I think this is supported by the fact that Charlie turned to Owen and made a chirping, questioning call after killing one man - a greeting, definitely not a warning or threat - seconds before being killed and Delta went straight for Hoskins, putting her back to Owen without a second thought; the posture the remaining raptors later took around Owen outside on the steps was similar to what they did in the enclosure - surrounding him and making challenging gestures and noises - hierarchy coming into play now that they were all on level ground. They’ve established their social order with fights amongst each other, but haven’t had the chance to challenge Owen properly since they got big enough the humans started interacting with them from a catwalk. Except Blue, who has genuine empathy as well as social skills and doesn’t seem to have wanted to get into a dominance challenge with the human who raised her.
Most important about the JW raptors on the question of memory - they don’t offer any of these challenges or exceptions to anyone else. Other humans are food/prey. They remember Owen and the playroom with the wooden toys they clawed to hell and back so they acknowledge him, even if just barely, but no one else. Only Blue shows any hesitation when going after another person, and that was for Barry, who was obviously deeply involved in their care.
Lastly, there is the Indominous and Indoraptor. Indominous of course remembered where her tracking implant was to dig it out, but also how the humans had opened doors to transport her in the past. She sets traps like the JP3 raptors, but her behavior overall is exactly like the JP1 raptors. Her only memories were of the labs and that enclosure - probably mostly the enclosure if she grew as fast as suggested. If she was put in the enclosure young…that’s a long time to remember how a door works, or where a bit of pain was in her neck from a minor surgery she was definitely unconscious for. Then to attach that memory to the human’s sudden ablility to find her despite the camouflaging. Clever girl. Like “The Big One”, she was a serial killer from hatching; she murdered her sibling and, even though it was never stated, it was telling they didn’t try to make another to raise with her for company. I believe Dr. Wu knew exactly how psychologically unsound she was from the beginning, especially given his visibly faux surprise and concern about it all when he was told. Escaping, she immediately went about causing murder and mayhem for vengeance and to release a lifetime of not being able to sate a souped-up and pent-up prey drive - and like the JP1 and JP2 raptors, had a single-minded and malicious focus on humans.
The Indoraptor is even more raptor - therefore lacking some of what made Indominous quite so naturally crazy - and more intelligent, but suffers from the same psychotic mindset and behavioral issues from his raising as the Indominous and JP1 raptors combined. Raised from infancy alone (he was a prototype, a test, they only needed one to test how the genes came together) he likely had no social training except the attack dog training. Dr. Wu specifically states they need Blue to raise the next one, to be it’s mother and teach it empathy. They were going to use her DNA to make the next one imprint more strongly on her, but his dialogue explicitly states the most important part of getting her is to have her alive to mother the next one. Memories. They need her to create the memory of caring and empathy and attachment to mimic so they can manipulate it to their needs.
TL;DR - Velociraptors have eidetic memory, which is an essential part of their raising and socialization.
