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'Deinonychus antirrhopus' — an agile hunter

Object Description

‘Deinonychus antirrhopus’ belonged to the group of Theropod Dinosaurs which moved on two legs, most species were carnivorous with sharp teeth, some very fast runners and  included feathered dinosaurs and the ancestors of birds. Its name means Terrible claw and is pronounced die-non-eye-cus. 

The fossils of ‘Deinonychus’ were discovered in the USA.  ‘Deinonychus’ lived 118–110 million years ago in the Cretaceous and was a carnivore measuring 3–4 metres.

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Educational Value Statement

'Deinonychus' was a small predatory dinosaur, with keen eyesight and a well-developed sense of balance. It had a long, stiff tail with a ball joint at its base that enabled tail movement. This allowed 'Deinonychus' to maintain its balance when attacking prey.

The name 'Deinonychus' means ‘terrible claw’, and on the second toe of each foot was a large sickle-like claw that was held away from the ground when the animal was walking or running. When 'Deinonychus' attacked, the claw was brought down, slashing into the flesh of its prey by kicking, disembowelling its victim. Its arms and ‘hands’ would have been used to tackle and hold onto prey; its powerful jaws and backward-sloping serrated teeth used to tear off large chunks of meat. Many other theropods relied on using their teeth and neck muscles to despatch their prey, whereas 'Deinonychus' fought like a karate fighter, using its hands and feet as well as its teeth.

'Deinonychus' has helped to change the way we think about dinosaurs. People used to think dinosaurs were sluggish creatures, until a palaeontologist named John Ostrom studied the skeleton of 'Deinonychus'. Ostrom’s discoveries led to the idea that dinosaurs could be sleek, fast-moving and agile predators.

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