Deinonychus antirrhopus

Deinonychus was first discovered by paleontologist Over 30 years later, in August 1964, paleontologist
Barnum Brown in 1931 near Billings in southern John Ostrom led an expedition from Yale’s
Montana. He was excavating and preparing the Peabody Museum of Natural History which
remains of an ornithopod dinosaur, Tenontosaurus, discovered more skeletal material near Bridger.
when he reported finds of a small carnivorous Over 2 summers, his team had collected more than
dinosaur close to a Tenontosaurus skeleton, “but 1,000 bones of one species of dinosaur. This made
encased in lime difficult to prepare.” He informally up 50 entries in the Peabody Museum’s catalogue,
called the animal “Daptosaurus agilis” and belonged to a minimum of three individuals
(“agile gnawing lizard”). (although no one could be sure of the exact
number). There was enough material to create two Cast of the holotype foot YPM 5205 from two angles
feet from one individual, which would become the
defining feature of the animal.

Later study by him and Grant E. Meyer analyzed

their own material as well as Brown’s
“Daptosaurus” in further detail and found them to
be the same species. Ostrom also reviewed the
material of “Megadontosaurus” and realized that
the teeth came from the very same animal, while
Skeletal drawing of Daptosaurus agilis the skeleton came from a completely different
from “Discovering Dinosaurs in the American Museum of
dinosaur.
Natural History (Norell et al., 1995)”

Ostrom’s outdated restoration of Eventually, in February 1969, he published his

He also found the skeleton of another smaller Deinonychus antirrhopus.
findings and named the referred remains a new
theropod and some oversized teeth, and decided name; Deinonychus antirrhopus. The name was
to name the animal “Megadontosaurus” or “big- derived from Greek, Deinonychus meaning “terrible
toothed lizard.” All of these were sent back to the claw”, and antirrhopus “counterbalancing”,
American Museum of Natural History, where he referring to the likely purpose of the stiffened tail.
intended to fully excavate the carnivorous On July of that year, he made an extensive
dinosaur, mount it in the museum, and formally monograph of Deinonychus. In 1970, he named the
name and describe his find, but he never published skeleton Microvenator celer.
his work.
John Ostrom and Deinonychus skeleton cast.
“Megadontosaurus” (left) compared to the Photo courtesy Yale University.
skeleton of a bird (right).
 Ostrom’s description of Deinonychus helped mark
Deinonychus was a medium-sized dromaeosaurid. Based on few fully
the birth of what would be known as the “dinosaur
mature specimens, Gregory S. Paul estimated that it could reach 3.3
renaisssance.” Until 1969, scientists thought that
- 3.4 meters (10 - 11 ft) long, with a skull length of 16 in, a hip height
dinosaurs were sluggish, cold-blooded animals, similar
of 0.87 meters (2.9 ft) and a body mass of 60-73 kg (132-161 lbs).
to today’s reptiles. Deinonychus appeared to have
Campione and his colleagues proposed a higher mass estimate of
been a clearly active, and agile predator, which
100 kg (220 lb) based on femur and humerus circumference. YPM
changed the scientific conception of dinosaurs,
5236 was estimated to reach a length of 3.55 meters (11.6 ft), with a
opening the door to speculation that some of them
hip height of 1 meter (3.2 ft), and a body mass of 103 kg (227 lbs).
may actually have been warm-blooded, like birds and
mammals.

Not only that, it also helped in the revival of a

hypothesis that is currently accepted by scientists. In
the 1860s, workers working at a limestone quarry in
Germany discovered a creature caught on time. The Berlin Specimen of Archaeopteryx
Despite the fossil being 150 million years old, its lithographica, displayed at Museum für
features were breathtaking. It had a long bony tail, a Naturkunde in Berlin.

bird-like mouth with reptilian teeth, and claws on the

tip of what looked like a wing. But the most notable
feature of this animal was the clear impression of
feathers. It appeared to be a missing link between
reptiles and birds. This was Archaeopteryx, meaning
“ancient wing/feather”, and its discovery led some to
speculate the relationship between birds and The skull was equipped with powerful jaws lined with around 70
dinosaurs. curved, blade-like teeth. Studies of the skull have progressed a great
deal over the decades. Initially, Ostrom reconstructed the skull from
However, most scientists disagree with the idea that partial, imperfectly preserved pieces, resulting in a triangular, broad
Screenshot from Paleoworld S2E07 -
birds descended directly from dinosaurs until Ostrom’s “Dinos in the Air” head fairly similar to early carnosaurs like Allosaurus. Additional skull
description of Deinonychus. During a visit to material and closely related species found with good three-
Amsterdam, he was able to examine one of the rare dimensional preservation revealed that the skull was narrower, more
specimens of Archaeopteryx, when he saw some like Dromaeosaurus, although not as long and gharial-like as
similar features to his new dinosaur. Velociraptor.

Despite the differences in size, the fingers and claws

of Deinonychus and Archaeopteryx were almost
identical, which led Ostrom to hypothesize that birds
indeed descended from non-avian dinosaurs. 40 years
later, this idea was almost universally accepted.

Outdated Deinonychus skull reconstruction Updated skull reconstruction of

Deinonychus antirrhopus
 While no skin and feathers have been found Deinonychus belonged to a group of theropod dinosaurs called the Maniraptors,
associated with Deinonychus, the evidence suggests notable for their bird-like hands and strong evidence of feathers. Among them, this
that all dromaeosaurids, especially it, were covered in group contains the oviraptorosaurs and the eumaniraptors. In this are the
feathers. troodontids and dromaeosaurids, both slight, agile dinosaurs with sickle-shaped
Microraptor is older geologically and more basal (or claws. Euodromaeosaurs are a member this of dromaeosaurid group, and have two
primitive) phylogenetically than Deinonychus, and main categories: the dromaeosaurines and the velociraptorines. Oddly, there is no
within the same family. Multiple specimens preserve consensus whether Deinonychus was a dromaeosaurine, a velociraptorine, or some
Life restoration of Microraptor gui
pennaceous, vaned feathers like those of modern birds other eudromaeosaur.
on its arms, legs, and tail, along with covert and
contour feathers. Deinonychus lived in the Early Cretaceous period, about 115 to 108 million years
In 2007, the ulna of a Velociraptor was found with little ago, in the upper Cloverly and Antlers Formations, in North America. Teeth found in
notches for feather quills. the Arundel Clay Facies (mid-Aptian), of the Potomac Formation on the Atlantic
Coastal Plain of Maryland may be assigned to the genus.
Geological evidence suggests that it inhabited a floodplain or swamplike habitat,
and the paleoenvironment consisted of tropical or sub-tropical forests, deltas, and
lagoons, perhaps similar to the environment of modern-day Louisiana.

Deinonychus shared its environment with various other animals, including

herbivorous dinosaurs such as the nodosaurid Sauropelta, and the ornithopods
Zephyrosaurus and Tenontosaurus. In Oklahoma, the ecosystem of Deinonychus
also included the large carcharodontosaurid theropod Acrocanthosaurus, as well
as the huge Sauroposeidon, crocodilians Goniopholis and Paluxysuchus, and the
gar Lepisosteus. If the teeth found in Maryland are those of Deinonychus, then its
contemporaries would include the sauropod Astrodon and the poorly-known
nodosaur Priconodon.

(A) Dorsal view of right ulna of Velociraptor IGM 100/981. (B) Detail of
red box in (A), with arrows showing six evenly spaced feather quill
knobs. In (B), a cast of IGM 100/981 was used. (C) Dorsal view of right
ulna of a turkey vulture (Cathartes). (D) Same view of Cathartes as in
(C) but with soft tissue dissected to reveal placement of the
secondary feathers and greater secondary coverts relative to the quill
knobs. (E) Detail of Cathartes, with one quill completely removed to
reveal quill knob. (F) Same view as in (E) but with quill reflected to the
left to show placement of quill, knob, and follicular ligament. Follicular
ligament indicated with arrow.

Comtemporaries of Deinonychus antirrhopus

 Dromaeosaurids, especially Deinonychus, are often
Later, Richard Kool, in his 1981 study of Canadian dinosaur
depicted as unusually fast-running animals in popular
footprints, produced rough walking speed estimates based
media, and Ostrom himself suspected that Deinonychus
on several trackways made by different species in the
was fleet-footed in his original description. However, when
Gething Formation of British Columbia. Kool estimated one
first described, a complete leg had not been found, and
of these trackways, representing the ichnospecies
Ostrom’s speculation about the length of the femur (upper
Irenichnites gracilis (which may have been made by
leg bone) later proved to have been an overestimate. In a
Deinonychus), to have a walking speed of 10.1 km/h (6
later study, he noted that the ratio of the femur to the tibia
mph). As for its running speed, MCZ 4371 was estimated to
(lower leg bone) is not as important in determining speed
have a speed of 40.6 km/h (25.2 mph).
as the relative length of the foot and lower leg. In Struthiomimus sedens
ostriches, for example, the foot-tibia ratio is .95. In
comparison, fast-running dinosaurs, such as Struthiomimus,
the ratio is .68, but in Deinonychus, the ratio is .48. Ostrom
stated that the “only reasonable conclusion” is that
Deinonychus, while far from slow-moving, was not
particularly fast compared to other dinosaurs, and
certainly not as fast as modern flightless birds.

The low foot to lower leg ratio in Deinonychus is due partly

to an unusually short metatarsus (upper foot bones). The
ratio is actually larger in smaller individuals than in larger
PRPRC 2005.15.001 (Irenichnites
ones. Ostrom suggested that the short metatarsus may be gracilis)
related to the function of the sickle claw, and used the
fact that it appears to get shorter as individuals aged as Despite being the most distinctive feature of Deinonychus,
support for this. He interpreted all these features—the short the shape and curvature of the sickle claw varies between
second toe with enlarged claw, short metatarsus, etc.—as specimens. The type specimen described by Ostrom in 1969
support for the use of the hind leg as an offensive weapon, has a strongly curved sickle claw, while a newer specimen
where the sickle claw would strike downwards and described in 1976 had a claw with much weaker curvature,
backwards, and the leg pulled back and down at the same more similar in profile with the 'normal' claws on the
time, slashing and tearing at the prey. Ostrom suggested remaining toes. Ostrom suggested that this difference in
that the short metatarsus reduced overall stress on the leg the size and shape of the claws could be due to individual,
bones during such an attack, and interpreted the unusual sexual, or age-related variation, but admitted he couldn’t
arrangement of muscle attachments in the Deinonychus be sure.
leg as support for his idea that a different set of muscles
was used in the predatory stroke than in walking or There is anatomical and trackway evidence that this talon
running. Therefore, Ostrom concluded that the legs of was held up off the ground while the dinosaur walked on
Deinonychus represented a balance between running the third and fourth toes.
adaptations needed for an agile predator, and stress-
reducing features to compensate for its unique foot Ostrom suggested that Deinonychus could kick with the
weapon. sickle claw to cut and slash at its prey. Some researchers
even suggested that the talon was used to disembowel
large ceratopsian dinosaurs. Other studies have suggested
that the sickle claws were not used to slash, and are
instead, useful for delivering small stabs to the victim.
 In 2005, Phil Manning and his colleagues built a robotic Ostrom compared Deinonychus to the ostrich and
dromaeosaur leg that precisely matched the anatomy of cassowary, and noted that these two bird species can
Deinonychus and Velociraptor, and used hydraulic rams to inflict serious injury with the large claw on the second toe.
make the robot strike a pig carcass. In these tests, the Cassowaries have claws up to 125 mm (4.9 in) long.
talons made only shallow punctures and could not cut or Ostrom cited Gilliard in saying that they can sever an arm
slash. The authors concluded that the talons would have or disembowel a man. Christopher P. Kofron studied 231
been more useful in climbing than in dealing killing blows. documented cassowary attacks, between 1999 and 2003,
Then in 2009, the team undertook additional analysis and found that one human and two dogs had been killed,
dromaeosaur claw function, using a numerical modelling but no evidence that cassowaries can disembowel or
approach to generate a 3D finite element stress/strain dismember other animals. Cassowaries use their claws to
map of a Velociraptor hand claw. They went on to defend themselves, to attack threatening animals, and in
quantitatively evaluate the mechanical behavior of agonistic displays such as the Bowed Threat Display.
dromaeosaur claws and their function. They state that
dromaeosaur claws were well-adapted for climbing as
they were resistant to forces acting in a single
(longitudinal) plane, due to gravity.

Claws of a cassowary

Cast of the claw of Deinonychus antirrhopus

In 2002, biomechanical studies by Kenneth Carpenter

confirmed that the most likely function of the forelimbs in
predation was grasping, as their great lengths would have
permitted longer reach than for most other theropods. The
rather large and elongated coracoid, indicating powerful
muscles in the forelimbs, further strengthened this
interpretation. Carpenter's biomechanical studies using
bone casts also showed that Deinonychus could not fold its
arms against its body like a bird ("avian folding"), contrary
to what was inferred from the earlier 1985 descriptions by
Jacques Gauthier and Gregory S. Paul in 1988.
 Studies by Phil Senter in 2006 indicated that the forelimbs of Deinonychus were not The seriema, a bird from South
only useful for grasping, but also for clutching objects towards the chest. If America, has an enlarged second
Deinonychus had feathered fingers and wings, the feathers would have limited the toe claw which it uses to tear apart
range of motion of the forelimbs to some degree. For example, when Deinonychus small prey items for swallowing. But,
extended its arm forward, the 'palm' of the hand automatically rotated to an upward- in 2011, Denver Fowler and
facing position. This would have caused one wing to block the other if both forelimbs colleagues suggested a new
were extended at the same time, leading Senter to conclude that clutching objects to method by which Deinonychus and
the chest would have only been accomplished with one arm at a time. The function of other dromaeosaurs may have
the fingers would also have been limited by feathers; for example, only the third digit captured and restrained prey, using
of the hand could have been employed in activities such as probing crevices for small a model called “raptor prey
prey items, and only in a position perpendicular to the main wing. In a 2001 study of restraint” (RPR).
Deinonychus forelimb mechanics, Alan Gishlick found that even if large wing feathers It involves the dromaeosaurs leaping
onto their prey, pinning it under their
were present, the grasping ability of the hand would not have been significantly
body weight, and using their large,
hindered; rather, grasping would have been accomplished perpendicular to the wing,
sickle-shaped claws to grip them
and objects likely would have been held by both hands simultaneously in a "bear hug"
tightly, in a similar manner to extant
fashion, findings which have been supported by the later forelimb studies by
accipitrid birds of prey. This
Carpenter and Senter. In a 2001 study conducted by Bruce Rothschild and other
proposal was based primarily on
paleontologists, 43 hand bones and 52 foot bones referred to Deinonychus were
comparisons between the
examined for signs of stress fracture; none were found. The second phalanx of the
morphology and proportions of the Life restoration of a young Deinonychus
second toe in the specimen YPM 5205 has a healed fracture. climbing up a tree
feet and legs of dromaeosaurs to
Photo courtesy: Matt Martyniuk
several groups of birds of prey with
Parsons and Parsons have shown that juvenile and sub-adult specimens of known predatory behaviors.
Deinonychus display some morphological differences from the adults. For instance,
Fowler found that the feet and legs of
the younger specimens have proportionally longer arms than those of the adults,
dromaeosaurs most closely resemble
possibly indicating a difference in behavior between young and adults. Another
those of eagles and hawks, in terms of
example of this could be the function of the pedal claws. Parsons and Parsons have
having an enlarged second claw and a
suggested that the claw curvature (which Ostrom had already shown was different
similar range of grasping motion. On
between specimens) was likely greater for juvenile Deinonychus, as this could help it
the other hand. the short metatarsus
climb trees, and the claws became straighter as the animals became older and
and foot strength would have more
started to live solely on the ground. This was based on the hypothesis that some small
similar to that of owls. The RPR method
dromaeosaurids used their pedal claws to climb up trees.
of predation would be consistent with
Interpretation of a Deinonychus preying other aspects of Deinonychus's
on a Zephyrosaurus in manner suggested
anatomy, such as their unusual jaw and
by Fowler et al. (2011)
arm morphology. The arms were likely
covered in long feathers, and may have
been used as flapping stabilizers for
balance while atop struggling prey,
along with the stiff counterbalancing
tail. Its jaws, thought to have had a
comparatively weak bite force, might
be used for saw motion bites, like the
modern Komodo dragon which also has
a weak bite force, to finish off its prey
if its kicks were not powerful enough.
Hand bones of MOR 747
 In the Cloverly Formation, Deinonychus teeth are commonly found associated with fossils of A recent study published by Tse, Miller, and Pittman et al. , focusing on the skull
the ornithopod Tenontosaurus. Two quarries have been discovered that preserve fairly morphology and bite forces of various dromaeosaurids discovered that Deinonychus,
complete Deinonychus fossils near Tenontosaurus fossils. The first, the Yale quarry in the the largest taxon examined, had a skull that was well adapted to hunting of large
Cloverly of Montana, includes numerous teeth, four adult Deinonychus and one juvenile vertebrates and delivering powerful bites to prey alongside Dromaeosaurus, to which it
Deinonychus. The association of this number of Deinonychus skeletons in a single quarry was compared. In this study, Deinonychus represented the most extreme
suggests that Deinonychus may have fed on that animal, and perhaps hunted it. Ostrom and specializations compared to other dromaeosaurids when it came to its adaptations.
Maxwell have even used this information to speculate that Deinonychus might have lived and The same study also revealed that Deinonychus' skull was less resistant to bite forces
hunted in packs. The second such quarry is from the Antlers Formation of Oklahoma. The site than that of Velociraptor, which apparently was engaging in more scavenging
contains six partial skeletons of Tenontosaurus of various sizes, along with one partial behavior, suggesting high bite force resistance was more common in dromaeosaurid
skeleton and many teeth of Deinonychus. One tenontosaur humerus even bears what might taxa that were obtaining food through scavenging more than engaging in active
be Deinonychus tooth marks. Brinkman et al. (1998) point out that Deinonychus had an adult predation. it is also suggested in these findings that Deinonychus may have fed by
mass of 70–100 kg (150–220 lb), whereas adult tenontosaurs were 1–4 metric tons. A solitary using neck-driven pullback movements to dismember carcasses when feeding, akin to
Deinonychus could not kill an adult tenontosaur, suggesting that pack hunting is possible. modern varanid lizards.

In 2005, a study with the great name “Bite Me”, conducted bite forces for dromaeosaurs A 2007 study by Roach and Brinkman has called into question the cooperative pack
based on biomechanical comparisons with American alligators and Komodo dragons. This hunting behavior of Deinonychus, based on what is known of modern carnivore hunting
study concluded that the Deinonychus likely had a maximum bite force only 15% that of an and the taphonomy of tenontosaur sites. Modern archosaurs (birds and crocodiles) and
American alligator. A 2010 study by Paul Gignac and colleagues discovered a Tenontosaurus Komodo dragons typically display little cooperative hunting; instead, they are usually
skeleton, which had numerous puncture marks on the bones which matched the teeth of either solitary hunters, or are drawn to previously killed carcasses, where much conflict
Deinonychus. These puncture marks came from a large individual, and provided the first occurs between individuals of the same species. For example, in situations where
evidence that large Deinonychus could bite through bone. Using the tooth marks, Gignac groups of Komodo dragons are eating together, the largest individuals eat first and will
and his team calculated that Deinonychus could bite with much greater force. They came attack smaller Komodos that attempt to feed; if the smaller animal is killed, it is
out with a bite force of between 4,100 to 8,200 newtons (4.1 to 8.2 kilonewtons), greater cannibalized. When this information is applied to the tenontosaur sites, it appears that
than the living carnivorous mammals including hyenas, and equivalent to a similar-sized what is found is consistent with Deinonychus having a Komodo or crocodile-like
alligator. feeding strategy. Deinonychus skeletal remains found at these sites are from subadults,
with missing parts consistent with having been eaten by other Deinonychus. On the
However, this estimate has come into question, as it based on bite marks rather than a other hand, a paper by Li et al. describes track sites with similar foot spacing and
Deinonychus skull. A recent 2022 study using a Deinonychus skull calculated a bite force of parallel trackways, implying gregarious packing behavior instead of uncoordinated
706 newtons (0.706 kilonewtons). feeding behavior. Contrary to the claim crocodilians do not hunt cooperatively, they
have actually been observed to hunt cooperatively, meaning that the notion of
Gignac and colleagues also noted, however, that bone puncture marks from Deinonychus infighting, competition for food and cannibalism ruling out cooperative feeding may
are relatively rare, and unlike larger theropods with many known puncture marks like actually be a false dichotomy.
Tyrannosaurus, Deinonychus probably did not frequently bite through or eat bone. Instead,
they probably used their strong bite force for defense or to capture prey, rather than for
feeding.

Komodo dragon feeding frenzy

 Later, a 2020 study, by J. A. Frederickson and colleagues, attempted to look for any The analysis of the microstructure of the Deinonychus egg confirms its
evidence of pack-hunting in Deinonychus. The chemical isotope composition of classification as a theropod, as it exhibits similarities with other known
juvenile and adult Deinonychus teeth were analyzed and were found to be different. theropod eggs and differences from ornithischian and sauropod eggs. In
Large teeth tend to be more depleted in 13C, while the small teeth are more comparison to other maniraptoran theropods, the Deinonychus egg shows a
enriched, indicating that the juveniles ate different diets than the adults. This study closer resemblance to oviraptorids rather than troodontids, despite previous
also stated to indicate a lack of complex, cooperative social behavior found in studies suggesting a closer relationship between troodontids and
mammalian terrestrial pack-hunters such as wolves. Therefore, it seems likely that dromaeosaurids like Deinonychus. Although the egg was too damaged to
Deinonychus did not hunt in packs. accurately determine its size, Grellet-Tinner and Makovicky estimated a
diameter of approximately 7 cm (2.8 in) based on the width of the pelvic canal
The identification of a probable Deinonychus egg in 2000 allowed for comparison through which the egg must have passed. This size aligns with the 7.2 cm (2.8
with other theropod dinosaurs in terms of egg structure, nesting, and reproduction. In in) diameter of the largest Citipati (an oviraptorid) eggs, further supported by
their 2006 examination of the specimen, Grellet-Tinner and Makovicky explored the the fact that Citipati and Deinonychus shared similar body sizes. Moreover, the
possibility that the dromaeosaurid had been feeding on the egg, or that the egg thickness of the eggshells of Citipati and Deinonychus are nearly identical,
fragments had been associated with the Deinonychus skeleton by coincidence. They indicating a similar egg volume and reinforcing the notion that these two
rejected the idea that the egg had been a meal for the theropod, noting that the animals laid eggs of comparable sizes.
fragments were sandwiched between the belly ribs and forelimb bones, making it
impossible that they represented contents of the animal's stomach. Additionally, the A research paper released in November 2018 by Norell, Yang, and Wiemann et
manner in which the egg had been crushed and fragmented indicated that it had al. reveals that Deinonychus laid blue eggs, possibly for camouflage purposes
been intact at the time of burial, and was broken by the fossilization process. The and to create open nests. The findings suggest that Deinonychus and other
idea that the egg was randomly associated with the dinosaur was also found to be dinosaurs that built open nests may have played a role in the evolution of color
unlikely; the bones surrounding the egg had not been scattered or disarticulated, but in modern bird eggs, serving as a form of recognition and camouflage against
remained fairly intact relative to their positions in life, indicating that the area predators.
around and including the egg was not disturbed during preservation. The fact that
these bones were belly ribs (gastralia), which are very rarely found articulated,
supported this interpretation. According to Grellet-Tinner and Makovicky, all the
evidence indicates that the egg was intact beneath the body of the Deinonychus
when it was buried. It is possible that this represents brooding or nesting behavior in
Deinonychus similar to that seen in the related troodontids and oviraptorids, or that
the egg was in fact inside the oviduct when the animal died.

An illustration shows medium-sized and giant oviraptorosaurs

nesting. A new analysis suggests that the oviraptosaur
Artist's impression of an individual in brooding position Oviraptor had dark blue eggs, like Deinonychus. (Masato
Hattori)
 Deinonychus played a significant role in Harry Adam Knight's novel Carnosaur and its Test Your KnowledgeI
film adaptation, as well as in Michael Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and The Lost
World and their film adaptations, directed by Steven Spielberg. Crichton opted to I. True or False.
use the name Velociraptor for these dinosaurs instead of Deinonychus. During the
writing process, Crichton consulted with John Ostrom multiple times to discuss the
1. Deinonychus hunted in packs. TRUE FALSE
behaviors and appearance of Deinonychus. Despite changing the name to
2. Deinonychus laid blue eggs. TRUE FALSE
Velociraptor for his book, Crichton mentioned to Ostrom that the Velociraptor in the
3. The sickle-shaped claw was not used for TRUE FALSE
novel was largely inspired by Deinonychus, with only the name being altered. The
filmmakers of Jurassic Park followed a similar approach, basing the film's models on disemboweling its prey.
Deinonychus rather than Velociraptor, and even requested Ostrom's published 4. Deinonychus was a very fast runner. TRUE FALSE
papers on Deinonychus for reference during production. Consequently, the dinosaurs 5. The first remains of Deinonychus were found by TRUE FALSE
in the film were depicted with the size, proportions, and snout shape of Deinonychus. Barnum Brown in 1931.
The 20-foot-long (6.1 m) Utahraptor is often considered a close match to the 6. Unlike other dromaeosaurs, it was not covered in TRUE FALSE
dinosaurs portrayed in the film, which were much larger than both Deinonychus and feathers.
Velociraptor in reality. 7. Deinonychus helped revolutionized the way we
TRUE FALSE
thought about dinosaurs, leading to the dinosaur
renaissance.
8. Dr. John Ostrom did not find any similarities
TRUE FALSE
between the arms of Deinonychus and
Archaeopteryx, which led to hypothesize that
birds are descended from dinosaurs.

II. Glossary
1. dinosaur renaissance - a highly specified scientific revolution that
has shifted our understanding about dinosaurs.
2. fleet-footed - ability to run fast.
3. overestimate - to estimate at too high a value, amount, rate, or the
like.
4. dismember - cut off the limbs of (a person or animal).
5. agonistic - relating to, or being aggressive or defensive social
Hypothetical feathered model adjacent to an earlier, featherless model from the interaction (such as fighting, fleeing, or submitting) between
Westphalian Museum of Natural History individuals usually of the same species.
6. accipitrid - a family of small to large birds of prey that includes
hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old vultures.
7. varanid - a family of lizards that includes the living genus Varanus,
which includes the Komodo dragon, crocodile monitor, savannah
monitor, goannas, and several others.