The Deinonychus was part of the same dinosaur family as the Velociraptor, featuring a large claw on its hind feet and around the same bite force as an alligator. Read on and check out all our cool Deinonychus information, learn when this dinosaur lived, where its fossils have been found, what its name means and more.
1. The name Deinonychus means ‘terrible claw’, this refers to the large, hooked claw found on the hind feet.
2. Deinonychus lived in the early Cretaceous Period, around 110 million years ago.
3. Deinonychus is part of the same family of dinosaurs as the Velociraptor.
4. The first Deinonychus fossils were found in 1931 in southern Montana but it wasn’t until 1969 that studies were published and it was officially named. Other Deinonychus fossils have since been found in Oklahoma and other parts of North America.
5. Deinonychus reached around 3.4 metres (11 feet) in length and 73 kg (170 lb) in weight.
6. Deinonychus had around 60 teeth and studies suggest that it had about the same bite force as an alligator.
7. Studies of the Deinonychus helped lead to the widely accepted theory that birds descended from dinosaurs.