Fun Deinonychus Facts For Kids

Deinonychus, pronounce 'dino ni kus', were small raptor species who roamed the Earth during the Early Cretaceous period on the continent of North America. They were dangerous predators equipped with deadly natural weapons.

They had strong jaws for landing powerful bites and had razor-sharp teeth for ripping their prey apart. The Deinonychus claws that were found on their toes and fingers were like sickles. They were pointed and sharp for cutting into flesh easily.

They were raptor species but could not run at a great speed. Deinonychus fossils were magnificent and were described by John Ostrom.

This was just the introduction! Ahead in the article, we have several interesting and funny facts about this dinosaur that will make you amazed. And for more relevant content, read our Caviramus facts and Tupuxuara facts for kids.

Deinonychus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Deinonychus'?

The terrible claw Deinonychus was a carnivorous raptor. The name Deinonychus seems tricky but pronouncing it is actually very easy. Deinonychus pronunciation is 'dino-ni-kus'. Deinonychus dinosaurs were in the group of theropod dinosaurs. They inhabited the Earth during the Early Cretaceous period around 115-108 million years ago.

What type of dinosaur was a Deinonychus?

Deinonychus were theropods in the genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. Their body was several feet long but wasn't that heavy. They were inhabitants of North America in dinosaur history. They belonged to the dinosaur clade Theropoda, Saurischia and Eudromaeosauria. They belonged in the family Dromaeosauridae. Their genus name is Deinonychus and their scientific name is Deinonychus antirrhopus.

In which geological period did the Deinonychus roam the Earth?

Deinonychus, related to the velociraptor dinosaurs, inhabited the world during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous period. They roamed their habitat in the mid-Aptian to Early Albian stages around 115–108 million years ago.

When did the Deinonychus become extinct?

Deinonychus was present on Earth during the Later Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous period around 115-108 million years ago. According to paleontologists and scientists, it is believed that they lived until the Later Cretaceous period and got wiped out during the extinction event caused by the meteor strikes.

Where did a Deinonychus live?

The theropod dinosaur, Deinonychus, was a bird-like lizard. The evidence indicates that they lived on the continent of North America. Fossils of this meat-eating dinosaur were discovered in the state of Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. Their remains have been found in the Cloverly Formation, Cedar Mountain Formation, and Antlers Formation.

What was a Deinonychus' habitat?

Deinonychus raptors were carnivorous dinosaurs with sharp claws and teeth. They roamed around their habitat most probably in groups in search of food. They would have inhabited forest areas, open lands, or high-altitude places.

Who did a Deinonychus live with?

Deinonychus dinosaurs were ace predators who hunted all sorts of dinosaurs except the huge ones. Now for taking down a bigger dinosaur, they would have needed each other's help. So in order to hunt, they might have formed groups. Deinonychuses were velociraptor dinosaurs who, according to several references, showed both social and solitary traits.

How long did a Deinonychus live?

There is no exact information about their natural life range. According to several paleontologists, they had a lifespan range of more than 10 years. Deinonychus hunted in packs.

How did they reproduce?

The terrible claw Deinonychus were bird-like small theropod dinosaurs who were several feet long. They were reptiles in nature and as we all know, reptiles lay eggs for reproduction. Deinonychus also would have had their breeding season and after mating, they would have also laid eggs. The Deinonychus egg would have been small in size.

Deinonychus Fun Facts

What did a Deinonychus look like?

These dinosaurs with sharp claws inhabited the Earth during the Early Cretaceous period around 115-108 million years ago. Deinonychus fossil remains were found in Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. According to the evidence, Deinonychuses were bird-like small theropods who had feathers on their body.

These feathers were not for flight but protected them from minor wounds. They had awesome body features which included a narrow skull, long vertebra, large hind legs (foot), large hands, and a lightweight body. They were very agile in nature.

Deinonychus specimens that were discovered were not complete so describing them completely is not possible. But from the amount of information present, we know that they had features similar to velociraptor dinosaurs, made famous by the 'Jurassic Park' movie.

Deinonychus had a small and narrow skull that had a beak-like front portion. It had a strong jaw fitted with razor-sharp teeth capable of ripping its prey apart.

These teeth were pointed and landed strong bites. The Deinonychus body was not that large. It was perhaps thin and didn't include heavy bones.

For running with good speed, they had pneumatic bones in their legs. Due to this lightweight body, they could run at a great speed.

Their hands were large if compared to other theropods and had wing-like projection but not for flight. On their fingers and toes, there were sickle-like sharp and pointed claws or talons present.

With the help of these terrible claw hands, they created a stronghold on their prey. Their tail was very long and had long feathers on it. They actually balanced their body with the help of their tail.

After much research on their fossils, it was considered that the Deinonychus height near their hip area was around 2.9 ft (0.9 m). The Deinonychus size is considered to be around 11 ft (3.4 m) in length and their weight was around 161-220 lb (73-100 kg).

Deinonychus feathers defended their body against small wounds. Ostrom reconstructed their skull.

How many bones did a Deinonychus have?

How many bones there were in the body of a Deinonychus is yet to be discovered. Their average body weighed around 200 lb (90.7 kg). According to their fossils, they were theropods and had pneumatic bones. They had strong claws and talons.

How did they communicate?

There is no exact information present on this topic. Deinonychus was related to velociraptor dinosaurs. We can assume that as shown in the movie 'Jurassic Park,' they had a screeching voice for communication. Their voice acted like terror to their prey.

How big was a Deinonychus?

Deinonychus was not that big in size. The Deinonychus skull was small and narrow, the body was lightweight, with long hands and legs and body covered with feathers like birds. Their body length was around 11 ft (3.4 m) and they weighed near 161-220 lb (73-100 kg).

How fast could a Deinonychus move?

In the natural history of dinosaurs, Deinonychus were theropods who roamed the Early Cretaceous earth. These dinosaur species were fast but not as much as other raptors. Deinonychus could run at a speed of 6 mph (9.7 kph). They could also fly.

How much did a Deinonychus weigh?

Deinonychus were several feet long dinosaurs that weighed several pounds. They were raptor dinosaurs who roamed in groups in their natural habitat in search of food. Their body length was around 11 ft (3.4 m) and their weight was within 161-220 lb (73-100 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

After these dinosaurs were discovered, they were named Deinonychus. There are no specific names assigned to the male and female of this species.

What would you call a baby Deinonychus?

Like all baby dinosaurs, baby Deinonychus are also known as hatchlings.

What did they eat?

In the natural history of dinosaurs, the terrible claw Deinonychus followed a carnivorous diet. The Deinonychus diet mainly consisted of meat from other herbivorous dinosaurs. In order to hunt or kill their prey, they had razor-sharp teeth with a strong jaw that landed heavy bites. The Deinonychus foot and hand had sickle-like sharp claws.

How aggressive were they?

They were aggressive. They were aggressive carnivorous animals who had terrible claws and deadly teeth for making their prey bleed to death. But Deinonychus speed was not that great.

Did you know...

The first Deinonychus fossil was found in the year 1931. The name Deinonychus means 'terrible claw'.

How smart is a Deinonychus?

Deinonychus was related to velociraptor dinosaurs who were considered to be very clever.

How did the claw of a Deinonychus change the view of dinosaurs?

The Deinonychus antirrhopus fossil that was discovered in North America was studied by John Ostrom. While studying the specimen, he came to know that these dinosaurs had an upright posture. He concluded that upright posture could help in keeping their body warm, thus he said that dinosaurs, although reptiles, might have had warm blood.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Prosaurolophus facts or Metriorhynchus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Deinonychus coloring pages.

Main image by Emily Willoughby.

Second image by Didier Descouens.