Deinonychus, the Terrible Claw

The Deinonychus, which means "terrible claw", lived in the Cretaceous period, approximately 100 million years ago in North America. This dinosaur was in the carnivorous Dromaesaurid family. It was small, about 10 feet long and 130 pounds, with a large retractable hunting claw on each foot. It had about 60 sharp curved teeth, long arms and hands with sharp claws. The Deinonychus has the reputation of being one of the deadliest dinosaurs.

Some paleontologists believe that this dinosaur was very intelligent and had sharp eyesight. The skull appears to hold a large brain and some scientists think that it was capable of learned behavior. One scientist, Dr. Robert Bakker, believed that the Deinonychus may have had bird features.

Deinoncychus may have lived in floodplains or swamps. Scientists also found that it could have hunted large plant eating dinosaurs. Deinoncychus would take down its prey by leaping on its backs in packs. It may have used its claw to cut and slash its prey. And some paleontologists even believe that it actually used the claw to puncture instead of slashing and it was better used for climbing.

It seems that the larger sized Deinoncychus would eat first, and would attack the smaller Deinoncychus that got in their way. This is similar to the komodo dragon and crocodile behavior. Some experts think that their predatory behavior was actually similar to lions, as they ambushed and quickly chased their prey.

A few hundred Deinonychus fossils were found in southern Montana in 1964. Due to the find of these fossils, and Paleontologist, John Ostrom's study, experts began to think that perhaps dinosaurs were actually warm-blooded animals, and that birds are descendents of dinosaurs. Even though no feathers have been found with any Deinonychus fossils, it is believed that it may have had feathers throughout its body.

Along with Montana, fossils have also been found in Wyoming and Oklahoma in the rocks of the Cloverly Formation and the Antlers Formation. Also, teeth that may have belonged to the Deinonychus have been found in the Arundel Clay Facies of the Potomac Formation in Maryland.

A Deinonychus skeleton can be viewed at the American Museum of Natural History and the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Sources:

http://www.dinosaur-world.com/feathered_dinosaurs/deinonychus_antirrhopus.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinonychus