Deinonychus

Deinonychus means “terrible claw”.

Deinonychus was a small, fast predator that used the large claws on its hands and feet to bring down its prey. When the first Deinonychus was unearthed in 1960, the find launched a long debate about how the dinosaurs had actually lived. At that time, it was assumed that all dinosaurs were cold-blooded, slow-moving creatures. However, it was clear that Deinonychus was a fast, mobile and active predator, which meant that it was almost certainly warm-blooded.

Length: 3-3,5 m
Weight: 70-100 kg

Age: Early Cretaceous (120-108 mio years ago)
Carnivore

Did you know about Deinonychus

that in the film Jurassic Park, two children are chased by a pack of Deinonychus? However, the film-makers thought that ‘Velociraptor’ was a better name, so they used that instead. The two species did resemble one another, but Velociraptor was only 50 cm tall.