Dinosaurs: Deinonychus
Deinonychus was a small meat-eating dinosaur that lived
during the Cretaceous period.
Deinonychus was a member of a group of small, intelligent
hunting dinosaurs called Dromaeosaurids. Other members of this group included
Utahraptor, Microraptor and the infamous Velociraptor.
Like other Dromaeosaurids this meat-eater was armed with
fearsome rows of sharp teeth, however its main weapon was a long (5 inch)
sickle-like retractable claw on the second toe of each foot controlled by a
strong tendon. This claw would have been raised whilst on the move. However,
when this fearsome predator was ready to attack its prey, the strong tendon
would snap tight and the claw would snap down with great power and force,
slicing deeply into the victim.
Deinonychus probably hunted in packs, allowing it to
attack prey much larger than itself such as defenceless Hadrosaurs. It also had
a very large brain in comparison to its small body size suggesting that these
predators were very smart.
Deinonychus (Terrible Claw)
Pronounced: DIE-no-NIKE-us
Name Means: "Terrible Claw"
Length: 10 feet (3 m)
Height: 4 feet (1.2 m)
Weight: 110 pounds (50 kg)
Diet: Carnivore (Meat)
Time: Early to Mid Cretaceous - 120 million years ago
Habitat: Open
Woodland
Fossils Found: Western North America
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