deinonychus

Everyday

A meat-eating dinosaur about 3 metres long that ran on two legs and had a large curved claw on each foot. The name means «terrible claw». tree →

In the lessons

In science and dinosaur lessons, Deinonychus showed scientists that some dinosaurs were fast, active hunters, closely related to birds; it probably had feathers. It lived in North America about 115 million years ago. In stories and films it inspired the fast, clever «raptors».

Examples

• Deinonychus had a big curved claw on each foot. tree →
• Its name means «terrible claw». tree →
• Scientists think Deinonychus had feathers. tree →
• Deinonychus lived in North America long before people. tree →
• The museum has a Deinonychus skeleton in a running pose. tree →
• The raptors in films are partly based on Deinonychus. tree →
• Deinonychus was about as long as a car. tree →

Note

Pronounced «die-NON-i-kus». As a scientific name it is written with a capital and often in italics: Deinonychus. It is a dinosaur name from Greek, not an everyday word. Myth: film raptors are much bigger than the real animal.