NormalDeinonychus
Deinonychus antirrhopus
die-NON-ih-kus· “terrible claw”
🦕 Dinosaur🕰️ Cretaceous🥩 carnivore🦴 Dromaeosauridae
3.4 m
Length
1.2 m
Height
85 kg
Weight
The raptor that changed science: its build convinced researchers that dinosaurs were fast, warm-blooded and bird-like. The Jurassic Park 'Velociraptors' were really modelled on it.
When
Early Cretaceous, ~115–108 million years ago
Found in
United States
Discovered
Barnum Brown, 1931
Did you know?
- Its study kick-started the 'dinosaur renaissance' of the 1960s.
- Several skeletons found together hint that it hunted in packs.
- Its killing claw stayed razor-sharp by never touching the ground.
Artwork: Fred Wierum, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.