Dinosaurs 101

  Derek Deinonychus and Velma Velociraptor compare their claw toes!

 Meet Derek Deinonychus: die- NON- ih - kuss

Here's 10 quick facts about our friend Derek!

1. Deinonychus is Greek for "terrible claw".

2. Derek probably used this claw to inflict deep stab wounds on its prey, perhaps withdrawing to a safe distance as its dinner bled to death.


3. The first Deinonychus fossils were discovered in 1931...

4. In 1964,a paleontologist named John Ostrom led a fossil-hunting expedition through Montana and Wyoming, and wound up discovering hundreds of bones later diagnosed as belonging to Deinonychus.


5. Deinonychus inspired the theory that birds descended from dinosaurs.

6. Deinonychus was the model for Jurassic Park's Velociraptors.

7.The jaws of Deinonychus were relatively weak...
Deinonychus had a wimpy bite compared to other, larger theropod dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period Their bite was only about as powerful as that of a modern alligator.

8. Derek was not one of the fastest dinosaurs either! He may have walked at a steady 6 mph!

9.Deinonyhcus grew to be about 11 ft long and weighed about 160 pounds.

10. To date, no direct evidence has been found for Deinonychus feathers, but the proven existence of other feathered raptors implies that this dinosaur must have looked a bit like Big Bird.

Learn more here: http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/typesofdinosaurs/a/Deinonychus-Facts.htm