The fossil origin and body characteristics of Deinonychus

Deinonychus was one of the fastest and most ferocious of the dinosaur family, and one of the most unusual predators. Although in terms of body shape, Deinonychus is far from being included in the ranks of large predators, but in terms of its speed and massacre, its shape is perfect: its body is light yet strong, and its hind limbs are strong and powerful. The sickle-shaped claws are extremely sharp. Deinonychus had a large head and teeth that could tear prey into pieces effortlessly. Their brains were more developed than other dinosaurs and their IQs were very high. They often hunted animals several times larger than them in groups. Some paleontologists believe that Deinonychus may have been warm-blooded, but this theory has yet to be confirmed.

Before 1964, paleontologists generally believed that theropod dinosaurs could be divided into two categories, namely the tall and powerful Tyrannosaurus and the flexible and agile Velociraptor. Since then, the discovery of a theropod dinosaur fossil in southern Montana has caused paleontologists to reconsider the issue. The discovery of Deinonychus can be described as a brainwashing move in the archaeological community. It changed the disgusting image of dinosaurs that people had in the past as being bulky, bloated and slow. There is no doubt that Deinonychus was a terrifying animal created for speed and carnage. .

Deinonychus combines the characteristics of the two theropods mentioned above, with a body length of 4 meters and a height of 2 meters. It always walks on its hind legs and moves as fast as flying. This dinosaur has its own very special weapons - two huge, surprisingly curved and extremely sharp claws, up to 15 centimeters long. Its name means "terrible" That’s where Claw” comes from. The formidable weapons of Deinonychus were on the second toe of each foot, which was as long and sharp as a cleaver, while the claws on the other toes were much smaller. When walking or running, Deinonychus would rely on the strong muscles of its legs to lift its thick hook-like claws up and off the ground, thus preventing it from being damaged, while other relatively small and blunt toe claws would be used. to grip the ground and maintain body balance.

The tail of Deinonychus was reinforced with a unique bone rod, which made it quite stiff and acted as a counterweight to maintain balance during rapid hunting. In addition, its tail also acts as a "rudder", helping it fly over rugged mountain roads at high speeds.

Like other dromaeosaurid dinosaurs, Deinonychus had a large brain relative to its body, and its intelligence was comparable to that of birds and mammals, making it extremely alert, which was extremely useful for them hunting in groups. important. They hunted in packs, much like wolves do today. They will sneak around groups of Iguanodon, Tenontosaurus and other types of herbivorous dinosaurs. Their keen vision allows them to find the most ideal attack targets and adopt corresponding hunting tactics. They will constantly harass the prey and wait until it is exhausted. At this time, they surrounded them and launched the final and fatal blow.

Deinonychus has a unique hunting skill: it lands on one foot and raises its sickle-like claws on the other foot. With the cooperation of the sharp claws on its forelimbs, it can easily disembowel its prey and kill it in one fell swoop. Then the Deinonychus began to eat and enjoy its deliciousness.

Chinese name: Deinonychus

Latin name: Deinonychus

Age of survival: Early Cretaceous

Fossil origin: United States, Canada

Physical characteristics: 3 meters long

Diet: Carnivorous

Type: Theropod

Definition: Lizard with terrifying claws

animal tags： Deinonychus