Dinosaur Deinonychus “Terrible Claw. Baryonyx Red Claw Dinosaur

results archaeological excavations always interesting, and often unpredictable. However, sometimes the surprise reaches such a limit that one involuntarily thinks: apparently, nature itself made fun of these creatures... Some fossil prehistoric animals had a very strange appearance, equipped with such “devices” as vaulted skulls or sickle-shaped toenails. NationalGeographic magazine presented a ranking of the most bizarre dinosaurs that once lived on planet Earth.

1. Amargasaurus

Outstanding Feature: Double row of spines along the neck and back

Period of residence: 130-125 million years ago

Found: in Argentina

This diplodocid had a very interesting feature: a row of spines up to 65 cm in length each, located on the back and neck. They could form a spiky mane or be covered with skin, creating a structure like a double sail. Whatever form they took, it was a very unusual device, and it probably played a role social life animal or was used for protection - a valuable acquisition for an animal that was almost half the length of its relatives.

Amargasaurus had a thin whip-like tail and blunt teeth adapted for tearing leaves from branches. Like other sauropods, it probably swallowed stones, or gastroliths, to aid digestion. With its spiny spine, Amargasaurus resembled a dicraeosaur, and some paleontologists classify the two species as a separate family.

2. Carnotaurus

Outstanding Feature: Strong legs and small front paws

Period of residence: 82-67 million years ago

Found: in Argentina

The carnotaurus's well-developed front legs give the impression that the beast was conceived as a perfect killing machine, but at the final stage some details were missing. However, the predatory happiness is not in the front legs - the Carnotaurus instilled fear in other dinosaurs with its strong jaws and long and fast hind limbs. Carnosaurus exhibits features similar to dinosaurs of the Northern Hemisphere, such as the sharp, thin, crooked teeth characteristic of carnivorous therapods.

Its forelimbs were very short, like those of tyrannosaurs. North America and Asia. However, the carnosaurus also had individual characteristics: it had a horn. The horns were bony outgrowths in the upper part of the skull, directed to the side and upward. During life, they were apparently covered with a horny membrane, like the horns of modern bulls or bulls.

The horns of the carnosaurus most likely played the role of identification marks, but since only a few skeletons of these dinosaurs have been found, it remains unclear whether only males or females had horns. The carnosaurus's muzzle was very narrow, but below the horns the skull widened sharply, so that the eyes were shifted slightly to the side. Thanks to this, the carnosaurus could have binocular vision, when the visual fields of the left and right vision intersect. Humans also have the same type of vision. An animal with such vision can accurately determine distance, which makes it an excellent hunter: carnosaurs looked out for their prey and caught it with dexterity.

3. Parasaurolophus

Outstanding Feature: Tube Shaped Comb

Period of residence: 76 million years ago

Discovered: North America

Parasaurolophus is the most remarkable representative of the hollow-crested duck-billed dinosaurs. The nasal bones of his skull turned into giant, long hollow tubes that curved and stretched behind his head. Why were such educations needed? Paleontologists don't know for sure yet, but they believe that these were some kind of voice amplifiers, similar to the nasal folds on the heads of hadrosaurs without crests. With such an “instrument” the animal could make sounds like a trombone in order to attract females or challenge rivals to a duel.

According to another point of view, such pipes created air circulation in the skull and cooled the brain in the heat. The luxurious crest of the parasaurolophus could have another function: to work as a kind of reflector of branches whipping on the face when the lizard made its way through the forest thicket - note that the crest fits exactly into the notch of the spine, while the shape of the body becomes streamlined. It is quite possible that all these hypotheses are correct and the ridge was a multifunctional structure. And if it had a signaling function, then the animal’s tail probably performed the same duties. The tail was wide, flattened on the sides, and very much resembled a board. It appears that large areas of the skin on the sides of the tail were brightly colored. With its help, parasaurolophus also probably challenged the enemy to a fight, or gave signs.

4. Masiakasaurus

Outstanding Feature: Amazing Teeth

Period of residence: 70-65 million years ago

Found: Madagascar

The fossilized remains of the jaw of Masiakasaurus, a dinosaur the size of a German shepherd, were found in Madagascar in 2001. Translated from the local dialect, the name of the dinosaur is translated as “irregular lizard.”

The main feature of Masiakasaurus is not its small size, but its specific teeth. The first tooth of the lower jaw protrudes forward at an angle of 90˚. Other teeth are straightened and positioned vertically. The teeth themselves are also unique: in the back of the jaw they are flattened and jagged, the front ones are long, almost conical, with spiny ends and tiny notches. This indicates a special way of obtaining food: Masiakasaurus caught up with the victim, wounded it with its front teeth, and chewed it with its back teeth.

5. Tuojiangosaurus

Standout Feature: Shoulder spines

Period of residence: 161-155 million years ago

Discovered: in China

In the best traditions of the Jurassic period, the bulky Tuojiangosaurus has a long, spiny tail and plate-like spines along its back. But this dinosaur is unique, the remains of which were found in the mid-twentieth century in China, thanks to the sharp conical spines that “decorate” its shoulders. Scientists have differing opinions about the function of spines. One version: the spines protected the body of Tuodzhiangosaurus from attacks by Alosaurus or other predators.

6. Deinocheirus

Standout Feature: Giant Paws

Period of residence: 70 million years ago

Found: in Mongolia

Deinocheirus (translated from Greek as “terrible hand”) is a theropod, a predatory dinosaur. Anatomically, Deinocherus was probably similar to a modern ostrich, but scientists do not know for certain what the body of this predator with huge arms looked like. Each of the found paws of Deinocheirus extends 2.4 m. This anatomy was especially useful during hunting. It is assumed that, thanks to its clawed paws, Deinocheirus could climb trees.

7. Dracorex

Outstanding Feature: Pointed Head

Period of residence: 67-65 million years ago

Discovered: North America

"Dracorex" is Latin for "king of dragons." His skull, covered with spikes and sharp projections, truly has a royally menacing appearance. However, its owner himself most likely resembled not a fire-breathing monster, but a wild pig.

8. Epidendrosaurus

Outstanding Feature: Extra Long Finger

Period of residence: 160 million years ago

Discovered: in China

The title of smallest among the most bizarre dinosaurs belongs to the tiny Epidendrosaurus, a sparrow-sized theropod. However, this little creature had prominent forelimbs. Epidendrosaurus was described in 2002 by paleontologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is the smallest of known to science dinosaurs, although scientists cannot say for sure whether they are young or adult belong to the imprints of bones on the stone. But the object of greatest interest to experts is the function of the limbs of Epidendrosaurus. According to a common version, Epidendrosaurus used its long fingers to search for insect larvae in trees.

9. Styracosaurus

Standout Feature: Horned Collar

Period of residence: 75 million years ago

Discovered: North America

Styracosaurus is herbivorous dinosaur, which made it into this ranking thanks to its amazing collar. The Styracosaurus's collar is decorated with six long, pointed spines. In addition, the dinosaur is armed with a 60 cm long horn. Such an animal is not afraid of any predators.
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Material from NationalGeographic supplemented with materials and illustrations from dinopedia.ru

Materials used: http://anastgal.livejournal.com/1390092.html#cutid1

Baryonyx

It's no surprise that this British dinosaur was nicknamed "clawed". The huge claws growing on the fingers of its forelimbs were almost as long as a human hand!

For the first time, the remains of Baryonyx were found next to the fossilized bones of Iguanodon, another dinosaur with opposable claws. Examining the skeleton of Baryonyx, which experts assembled from scattered pieces, we can confidently identify a number of characteristic features. Such features include, for example, an oblong skull sitting on a long neck.

The body of Baryonyx was the length of a bus - about 9 meters, and weighed accordingly - approximately 2 tons. For comparison, we note that this weight is equal to the total weight of twenty-five adult men of average height and stature.

Eating fish

The hind legs of Baryonyx were very powerful, although the forelimbs were almost as strong as them. Some scientists even believe that Baryonyx could walk on four legs, wandering along the river bank and looking for fish.

Imagine a scene like the one below. Such scenes could well have played out some 120 million years ago on that part of the earth's landmass that is now called England. It was the early Cretaceous period, and lush greenery grew along the banks of numerous rivers and lakes.

The carnivorous lizard Baryonyx could easily find food for itself in the form of many small living creatures. However, there is evidence that he obtained food in such an unusual way for a dinosaur as fishing, as can be seen in the figure.

A huge claw on the opposing fat could be very useful specifically for fishing. Scientists learned that Baryonyx ate fish by finding fish fossils in its remains.

Tooth and claw

Another feature of Baryonyx is the double (compared to other carnivorous lizards) number of teeth in its long crocodile-like jaws. The largest teeth were located in the front cavity of the mouth; as they moved towards the back, the size of the teeth decreased.

The teeth were conical, slightly jagged - perfect shape to grab slippery, squirming prey such as fish or the like small dinosaur, like Hypsilophodon or even a young Iguanodon.

Scientists have concluded that Baryonyx has claws on the hind limbs that are not as huge as those on the front. Baryonyx was too heavy to stand on one hind leg and use the other claw to strike an opponent, as a much smaller and lighter dinosaur like Deinonychus could easily do.

Yet the forelimbs of Baryonyx were powerful enough to carry such formidable weapon. It probably wasn't easy sea ​​fish, even the most nimble ones, when Baryonyx went hunting!

Attack is a common strategy in the animal world. Its motives are varied: they attack for food, possession of a female, while protecting cubs or a nest. Dinosaurs were no exception; on the contrary, they became one of the most striking examples of such behavior, invented, by the way, by completely different creatures and long before them - approximately 570 million years ago. It was then that organisms that fed on animal foods instead of eating dead organic matter or algae became widespread on Earth. In other words - predators. And even then, means of hunting (various articulated appendages, spines, “harpoons”, poisonous glands) and means of protection (shells, shells) arose. With the advent of new life forms devices for attack and defense naturally changed, their original modifications also appeared in dinosaurs: curved claws and teeth in several rows, huge horns, collars and shells. Although by their nature all these wonderful devices are nothing more than modified skin or skull bones. After the dinosaurs, some reptiles and mammals also tried to arm themselves and defend themselves in a similar way, but they were all far from the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic. Now on Earth only turtles and crocodiles are content with a modest share of the terrifying equipment that dinosaurs owned.

Deadly weapon

Predators are those animals that kill their own kind for food. This action requires special behavioral qualities and external adaptations that allow them to track, catch up with, and attack prey. Among dinosaurs, animal-footed lizards - theropods - hunted for predation. Dinosaurs of this group walked on two legs, but their forelimbs were reduced to small appendages. The hind legs, equipped with powerful muscles, allowed the animals to develop decent speed. According to calculations, the tyrannosaurus - the most studied predator - could move at a speed of 30 km/h, which is quite a lot for a 7-ton creature. But, of course, this figure is much lower than the speed of modern large predators, for example a tiger, sometimes reaching 80 km/h. Small and agile dinosaurs won in terms of speed. It is estimated that the 3-kilogram Compsognathus (lived in Europe 150 million years ago) could run with maximum speed 64 km/h.

Since the front legs of predatory dinosaurs were practically non-functional, their main weapon of attack was their teeth. They actually reached terrifying sizes and shapes in some theropods. A typical example is the mouth of a tyrannosaurus, studded with six dozen sharp teeth of different sizes, among which 30-centimeter “daggers” stood out. All the teeth had a sawtooth cut along the back edge and curved back, which made it possible to hold the victim and tear it to pieces. Scientists are finding T. rex bite marks on the bones of other animals. For example, about 80 marks are present on the pelvic bones of the herbivorous Triceratops, which clearly indicates its murder. When studying one of the tyrannosaurs, bite marks were found on its cranial bones, and in its cervical vertebra - a tooth that belonged to a representative of the same species. Does this indicate a fight between two tyrannosaurs? Yes, they could have mated over food or a female. Although the latter is unlikely, since it presupposes the presence of developed sexual behavior, and dinosaurs are unlikely to have such behavior. Rather, it can be assumed that tyrannosaurs practiced cannibalism during the hungry season.

Allosaurus, which lived before Tyrannosaurus rex, could have hunted giant Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. This is confirmed by those found in American state Wyoming tail vertebrae of the Apatosaurus with deep marks from the teeth of the Allosaurus, and one 15-centimeter tooth of the Allosaurus, just like in the previous example, was completely stuck in the tail of the enemy. Apparently, he was knocked out in a fight between lizards.

Other terrible weapon attacks - sharp saber-shaped claws did not appear in small predatory dinosaurs immediately, but only in Cretaceous period(145-65 million years ago). A small dinosaur, Baryonyx, a “heavy claw” that lived in the area, had a sickle-shaped claw on its front paws. modern England 130 million years ago. Velociraptor, a “swift-footed hunter” a little less than two meters long, was armed with claws on its hind legs, one on each. A similar 3-meter-long Deinonychus, the “terrible claw,” had in its arsenal three sharp claws on its front paws and one saber-shaped claw 13 centimeters long on its hind paws. This long claw was mobile and leaned back while running. Deinonychus hunted young herbivorous dinosaurs like hypsilophodon and iguanodon; they caught up with the victim, jumped onto its back with a running start or clung to its side, immediately plunging its saber-shaped claw into the victim’s belly.

Details of how carnivorous dinosaurs used teeth and claws, and the list of their victims are mainly theoretical generalizations, but there is very little direct evidence (that is, finds), and even those allow different interpretations. Like, for example, the most famous discovery of two skeletons of mated lizards - the herbivorous Protoceratops and the predatory Velociraptor, made in 1971 in the Gobi Desert by scientists of the Soviet-Mongolian paleontological expedition. It would seem that everything is obvious: both dinosaurs received heavy grass in the fight, and they had no strength left to open their jaws and run away when it started dust storm. And so the opponents died in each other’s arms. However, in paleontology, the same fact can often be interpreted in different ways. No, there was no fight, say opponents, but simply a seething water stream that bizarrely connected two dead animals and buried them entangled under a layer of sand and silt.

Bodily adaptations, such as teeth or claws, certainly served as the main tools of a predator, but they were powerless against animals of comparable size. To cope with large dinosaurs, which also grazed in herds, additional techniques were needed. Researchers believe that for the sake of efficiency, some predators may have mastered collective hunting, as lions and wolves do. True, hunting in a pack has both pros and cons: on the one hand, it is easier to deal with the prey, on the other, each hunter gets less food. There is evidence of a group attack even among large dinosaurs: For example, the bones of seven mapusaurs found during excavations in Argentina lay nearby. The researchers found that these dinosaurs died at the same time and may have been members of a pack that hunted together. Technically, there is nothing incredible about the fact that several mapusaurs felled a 40-meter Argentinosaurus. Similar collective burials are known for Coelophysis. It is believed that two or three of them hunted giganotosaurs. Although, on the other hand, the discovery of several skeletons of predators that died at the same time only indirectly indicates that this is a pack. The general location of their death may be explained by another fact, for example, animals exhausted by the heat came to a dry watering hole.

Intelligence is the main weapon of a predator

It is not enough to have teeth and claws, you also need to use them skillfully, and this is impossible without intelligence. After all, the hunter’s lifestyle presupposes the need to actively move in order to track and pursue the prey, and to anticipate its maneuvers. So the intelligence and sensory organs of predatory lizards were more developed than those of those who led a peaceful existence. And the higher the intelligence, the larger size brain, and dinosaurs were no exception to this rule. Fossil skulls show that the brains of theropods were clearly larger in volume than the brains of sauropods - gigantic herbivorous dinosaurs with a long neck and small head. Velociraptor and Deinonychus had large brains, and the absolute champion in brain volume was Stenonichosaurus: its brain was six times larger than that of a modern reptile of the same size. In addition, stenonychosaurs had very big eyes and presumably binocular vision, like birds and humans. With this type of vision, the animal does not see a separate picture with each eye, but the area of ​​​​intersection of images received from both eyes. This allows him to move precisely towards the intended target. Undoubtedly, such an ability - innovative for the fauna of that time - helped Stenonychosaurus more effectively pursue prey. Modern technologies allowed us to draw some conclusions about the sensory organs of predatory dinosaurs. Sergei Savelyev from the Institute of Human Morphology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and Vladimir Alifanov from the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences made a silicone cast of the brain from the brain cavity of Tarbosaurus, using its entire skull, and compared it with the brain of birds and modern reptiles. It turned out that Tarbosaurus had large olfactory bulbs, well-developed olfactory tracts, and good hearing. But with the visual system everything turned out to be different - it was not so developed. It turns out that Tarbosaurus relied more on smell than on sight in search of prey. Why did he need this? Most likely in order to smell the smell of rotting meat from afar. Probably, Tarbosaurus, and by analogy with it, other large predatory dinosaurs did not lead a completely predatory lifestyle - they did not neglect to feed on carrion. To confirm this conclusion, scientists also pay attention to the enormous size of the lizards - such giants as Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus could not always feed themselves by hunting; most likely they had to be content with what they found under their feet. There is a kind of compromise version of predation: the animal hunts under a successful combination of circumstances, for example, when the prey is very close and you can quickly run up to it to grab it; when she is sick and cannot escape, or the victim is a cub. In addition to these trade-offs, the predator ate more accessible food, the search for which did not require large expenditures of energy.

The armor is strong

The prey for which predatory dinosaurs “sharpened” their dagger teeth was a very diverse sight: all kinds of herbivorous species, as well as those animals that ate fish, did not disdain lizards and arthropods. Currently, the division of dinosaurs into carnivores and herbivores is generally quite arbitrary; most of them should rather be considered omnivores. The difference between active and passive animals is much more clearly expressed, because it was the latter that most often became the prey of the former. Dinosaurs that led a passive lifestyle, that is, did not know how to run and hunt, were probably the most amazing creatures who have ever lived on Earth. Many of them were simply overwhelming with their size. For example, the gigantic sauropods - Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurus - reached 40 meters in length and weighed tens of tons. It’s not at all easy to kill them; not a single predator of that time could compare with them in size. It turns out that the very size of the body of sauropods served them as a kind of protection. Allosaurus and ceratosaurs that lived alongside diplodocus were unlikely to hunt adults alone. Most likely, predators followed the herd and waited for an old individual or a cub to break away from it. It was only possible to kill an adult diplodocus or brontosaurus through the efforts of several large predators.

Representatives of ornithischian dinosaurs - stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, horned dinosaurs were not as huge as sauropods, but very unusual in appearance. Their spikes, horns, protrusions and shells looked like powerful protective armor. For example, stegosaurs had bony plates on their backs that extended from the vertebrae. On the back of the most famous species, the stegosaurus itself, bone plates were alternately located in two rows, which looked very impressive. But did they provide protection from the teeth of a predator? Most scientists believe that the plates are unreliable as a means of protection: they were easy to break and left the sides of the reptile exposed. Most likely, the plates served for thermoregulation of the individual: the skin covering them was probably penetrated by a rich network of blood vessels, which allowed the lizard to warm up faster in the morning sun and begin to move when the predators were still sleeping. But recent studies cast doubt on this version: if there were blood vessels there, they were located in such a way that they could not effectively remove excess heat. Perhaps the dorsal plates served as species identification marks, like bright color plumage of birds, but this is not completely certain. Why, for example, does one of the stegosaurs, the “spiny lizard” Kentrosaurus, found in Africa, have narrow and sharp plates on its back and a long spike on its sides on each side? In addition, stegosaurs had four powerful spines on their tail, which they could easily use to fend off attacks from predators.

The ankylosaurs that colonized vast territories were dressed in real protective armor. ancient earth- from North America to Antarctica. Their bodies were completely covered with armor made of ring-shaped bone shields encircling their backs, which provided passive protection. In some species, the shields grew together, like in turtles. The shields on the carapace of the ankylosaur (Ankylosaurus) were completely covered with bumps and spines, so that the lizard looked like a huge lump. Such protection had its costs: the armored animals were clumsy and slow, moving at a speed of no more than 3 km/h. Did the shell reliably protect them from predators? Probably yes. The ankylosaur became vulnerable only if it turned upside down with its belly devoid of shell. But even a large hunter was unable to do this to him. In addition, the ankylosaur was able to actively defend itself with its tail and a heavy bone mace, delivering powerful blows to the enemy with it.

Herbivorous lizards from the ceratopsian group, squat four-legged animals with a large head, acquired a horn on their muzzle. Their skeletons with impressive bony horns protruding directly from the skull were first discovered back in 1872, and subsequent discoveries showed that at the end of the era of dinosaurs, “horned lizards” reached great diversity. On their necks, ceratopsians wore a bone “collar” made of fused skull bones, and the end of their muzzle looked like a beak. North American horned lizards, Triceratops, wore three horns: one on the nose, like a rhinoceros, and two, meter long, sticking out above the eyes. Like modern horned animals (deer, rhinoceroses), the horns of dinosaurs played a primary role in sexual selection: those with more horns conquered the best females and received more viable offspring. In addition, Triceratops could actively defend themselves from predators with their horns: threaten, wave them off, hit the enemy from below, ripping open their belly, which, by the way, was open in bipedal theropods. Depending on the situation, the horns may have been used as an attack weapon - to clarify the relationship between rivals of the same species, for example, during mating fights.

The bone collars of ceratopsians also most likely served as a sign external difference like the tail feathers of a peacock. In addition, strong chewing jaw muscles were attached to them. But still, the collars could protect the neck, although not completely, since many species of dinosaurs had holes in them. The skull of Torosaurus, including the collar, reached a record size of 2.6 meters, and it had several large “windows”. On the contrary, the Styracosaurus found in Canada had a complete collar and was equipped with six long, sharp spines. Paleontologists believe that this good protection scared away predators from encounters with styracosaurs.

In November 2007, Canadian paleontologists unearthed the world's largest horned dinosaur, 9.75 meters long, in Horseshoe Canyon in Canadian province Alberta. It was identified as the ancestor of Triceratops and named Eotriceratops xerinsularis. The length of the Eotriceratops skull was about three meters, almost like a car. The expedition members lifted it up the slope with great difficulty. Like Triceratops, Eotriceratops was armed with two one-and-a-half-meter-long supraorbital horns and a smaller pyramidal horn on the nose. It also had a bone collar with spikes along the edges.

Dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, and mammals took over their habitat and dominant position on land. There is much in common between them, in particular, mammals use the same devices for attack and defense as dinosaurs. Lions and tigers, like Mesozoic theropods, are distinguished by their muscular build and sharp teeth and claws. And porcupines, hedgehogs and armadillos acquired shells and spines, that is, passive protection, like stegosaurs and ankylosaurs. Horns as a means of defense have not lost their relevance - they are used by rhinoceroses, buffalos and moose. Where does this similarity come from? We cannot say that mammals inherited all this from dinosaurs, since both groups of animals are not directly related. Biologists have another explanation: a largely similar habitat, as well as common features anatomical structure, the similar sizes of individuals led to the fact that mammals developed the same behavioral strategies as dinosaurs.

Illustrations by Olga Orekhova-Sokolova

• Class: Reptilia = Reptiles or Reptiles
• Subclass: Archosauria = Archosaurs
• Superorder: Dinosauria † Owen, 1842 = Dinosaurs
• Squad: Saurischia † Seeley, 1888 = Saurish-hipped dinosaurs
• Family: Dromaeosauridae † Matthew et Brown, 1922 = Dromaeosaurids
• Genus: Deinonychus Ostrom, 1969 † = Deinonychus
• Species: Deinonychus antirrhopus Ostrom, 1969 † = Deinonychus

Genus: Deinonychus = Deinonychus "Terrible Claw"

In 1963, an amazing dinosaur was found in the Lower Cretaceous rocks in the USA, which clearly cannot be considered a giant. It reached only one and a half meters in height, although its body reached 3-4 meters in length. Moreover, more than half of its length was in the tail. The tail of Deinonychus in the back was quite rigid and served as a balancer when running. When running, the dinosaur's body was parallel to the ground. The tail, flexible at the base, was used as a rudder, which allowed the animal to quickly change the direction of its run, cutting off the prey’s escape route. On its hind legs it had one particularly large and strongly curved claw, which folded upward when running.

Deinonychus, despite its relatively small size, was a very dangerous predator. Its jaws were armed with sharp teeth, and its main weapon were large and sharp claws, which were armed with both the front and hind limbs of Deinonychus. When attacking animals, Deinonychus, with lightning speed, plunged all its claws into the body of the doomed victim with all its force. Hitting the victim forcefully with the claws of its hind legs and holding it tightly with its long forelimbs, which ended in three fingers with sharp claws curved down, Deinonychus quickly bit into its body with its jaws. Lower jaw It was attached to the back of the skull, so the lizard could open its mouth wide, and strong muscles provided a death grip. And since its teeth were located in the jaws at an angle backwards, the victim could no longer free himself from the death grip of Deinonychus, even if she violently struggled, since the teeth pierced even deeper.

The sickle-shaped claw of the second finger reached 13 cm in length. Pointed upward, it always remained sharp and ready to attack. Therefore, Polish researchers gave the name “terrible claw” to Deinonychus for its claws - this is how its name “Deinonychus” is translated.

The victims of Deinonychus were most likely young dinosaurs of all kinds, most often herbivores - Hypsilophodon and iguanodon.

Scientists suggest that in hunting habits Deinonychus resembles a modern leopard, comparable in size. Like the leopard, it could hunt prey that was larger than itself. It is possible that Deinonychus hunted in packs. The unusually large cranial cavity for dinosaurs may also indicate that Deinonychus was capable of complex group relationships and living together in a society of its own kind.

Currently, some researchers assign this species to the genus Velociraptor, rejecting the independence of the genus Deinonychus † = Deinonychus, considering it a member of the genus Velociraptor: V. antirrhopus (Ostrom, 1969) Paul, 1988. (see genus: