Dino card No. 0500 of 2,015

Deinonychus

Say it: dye-NON-ih-kus

Name means: “terrible claw”1

Ate: MeatRaptorsEarly Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous

Deinonychus was a fast, smart hunter with a huge sickle-shaped claw on each foot. It used those claws to slash at prey, and its stiff tail helped it keep balance while running and fighting.2

Lived

143 to 94 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Fossils have been found in the United States, especially Montana, and also in Brazil.3 1

Food

Meat3 2

Length

3 to 3.4 m2

about 3 to 3.4 metres long, scientists estimate

Weight

70 kg to 100 kg2

Height

1 to 1.2 m2

at the hips

Artist's life restoration of Deinonychus — How Deinonychus may have looked, by Fred Wierum. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

Deinonychus had a huge, curved claw on the second toe of each foot. That claw was about 13 centimetres (5 inches) long and was probably used like a slashing weapon.2

Its tail was stiffened by long bony rods, which helped it balance perfectly when it ran or attacked.2 1

Deinonychus had very flexible wrists, so it could grab and hold prey with its long, clawed hands.1

The name 'Deinonychus' means 'terrible claw', because of that huge foot claw.1

Deinonychus lived during the Early Cretaceous Period, about 145 to 100 million years ago.2

Deinonychus was the model for the 'raptor' dinosaurs in the movie Jurassic Park.2

Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Deinonychus was a Jurassic dinosaur, like in Jurassic Park.

Truth: Deinonychus actually lived in the Early Cretaceous Period, not the Jurassic.2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Deinonychus
Named by: Ostrom 19693
Group: Raptors
Family / clade: Dromaeosauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Dromaeosauridae3
Age of the rocks: 143 to 94 million years (Berriasian to Cenomanian)3
Rock formations: Cloverly, Antlers, Cedar Mountain3
Countries: USA, Brazil3
Fossil records: 47 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Deinonychus was discovered in 1964 by Grant E. Meyer and John Ostrom near Bridger, Montana. They dug up more than 1000 bones from at least three animals.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate exactly how Deinonychus used its big foot claw, whether it slashed or stabbed its prey.2

Where the facts come from

A new theropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Montana (elischolar.library.yale.edu)
Deinonychus | Carnivorous, Jurassic, Raptor | Britannica (britannica.com)
Deinonychus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@dinowiki.app and we will fix it.