The most "bizarre" dinosaurs. The most "bizarre" dinosaurs Deinonychus is a Greek word that means "terrible claw"

Deinonychus was far from the most large dinosaur, but one of the best hunters of the Mesesoic era. Deinonychus is one of the most ferocious predators in the dinosaur world. He walked on two legs and was armed with sharp claws and teeth and was a very fast predator.
Deinonychus became widely known thanks to the movie "Park Jurassic"(Directed by Steven Spielberg), where he was presented as a Velociraptor. In fact, the Velociraptor was much smaller and possibly had plumage.

Limbs:

Like all theropods, Deinonychus moved on its hind limbs. Deinonychus, in addition to the toothy mouth, also owned another formidable weapon. Each Deinonychus foot had a huge sickle-shaped claw. When attacking, he jumped on the victim and, holding on to it, plunged his claw into the body.

Deinonychus was a natural runner with a graceful body and strong legs. When Deinonychus fled, either pursuing prey or fleeing from more large predator, he bent the second toes up with the help of powerful leg muscles so that the claws did not touch the ground. Otherwise, they might break. The rest of the claws of Deinonychus were blunt and short. With them, Deinonychus clung to the unevenness of the soil, which helped him maintain balance when running. Scientists suggest that Deinonychus could reach speeds of up to 40 km / h. Tail: Deinonychus ran very fast. At the same time, he had to maneuver on high speed. The tail helped him in this.

Hunting:

Skin covering:

There is speculation that Deinonychus may have been feathered. Feathers protected the lizard from temperature changes - cooling or overheating in the sun. So far, undiscovered parts of the skeleton raise questions: for example, the exact design of the pelvis is not clear. The actual depiction of this dinosaur is a matter of debate: was it covered in plumage and what service did it serve, or was it covered in scaly skin?

It's not as famous as its Asian cousin Velociraptor, made famous by the films Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, but Deinonychus certainly had a much bigger impact on paleontology. Numerous remains of these dinosaurs helped to figure out how the raptors looked and lived. Below we present 10 amazing facts about Deinonychus.

02. Deinonychus is a Greek word that means "terrible claw"

The name Deinonychus is due to the fact that each paw of this dinosaur had a large curved claw. This feature is common to all raptors of the middle and late Cretaceous. Deino in Greek is the same as dino (“terrible, terrible”), and the word dinosaur is translated as “terrible lizard”.

03 Deinonychus gave rise to the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs

In the late 60s and early 70s of the last century, the American paleontologist John Ostrom noted the similarity between Deinonychus and modern birds. He first put forward the idea that birds evolved from dinosaurs. The theory, which in those days was perceived as very bold, today is practically not questioned in scientific community. Many scholars promoted and popularized it, including Ostrom's student Robert Bakker.

04. Deinonychus (almost everyone is sure of this) was covered in feathers

Today, paleontologists believe that most theropods (including raptors and tyrannosaurs) were covered in feathers at some point in their lives. Currently, there is no direct evidence that Deinonychus had feathers, but it has been proven that other raptors were feathered (for example, Velociraptor). It can be assumed that this North American raptor looked like big bird, if not in adulthood, then at least at the beginning of life's journey.

05. The first remains of Deinonychus were discovered in 1931

The famous American "dinosaur hunter" Barnum Brown discovered the remains of Deinonychus when he was looking for a completely different species in the state of Montana - the Hadrosaurus (aka the duck-billed dinosaur). Brown was not very interested in a small raptor, which he accidentally dug up, since the sensation from this find was not expected at all. The researcher called the found species daptosaurus and forgot about it.

06. Deinonychus used claws to kill prey

Paleontologists still haven't fully figured out exactly why the raptors needed claws on their feet, but there is no doubt that they had some kind of attacking function. They also supposedly helped ancient reptiles climb trees to escape larger theropods, or to impress members of the opposite sex in mating season. Deinonychus may have inflicted deep wounds on prey with his claws, and then retired to a safe distance and waited for her to die from blood loss.

07. Velociraptors were based on Deinonychus in Jurassic Park

Remember those fearsome, human-sized Velociraptors that hunted in packs in Jurassic Park and their counterparts in Jurassic World? Deinonychus served as a model for their creation, although this word does not sound in the pictures, apparently too complex and unusual for a wide audience. By the way, one should not think that he or any other dinosaur was smart enough to turn doorknobs, and they also did not have green scaly skin.

08 Deinonychus May Have Hunted Hadrosaurs

The remains of Deinonychus were found along with the remains of hadrosaurs (they are also duck-billed dinosaurs). This means that both of them lived in North America on the same territory in the middle Cretaceous period. One would like to conclude that Deinonychus hunted hadrosaurs, but the problem is that an adult hadrosaur weighed about two tons, and representatives of a smaller species could only defeat it together.

09. The jaws of Deinonychus are weak, as it is not surprising

Studies have shown that Deinonychus could not bite anyone hard, unlike other, larger Cretaceous theropods, such as Tyrannosaurus Rex and Spinosaurus. These could grab no worse than a modern crocodile. It seems, strong jaws our hero was not particularly needed, since two claws and long front paws were quite enough.

10 Deinonychus Wasn't The Fastest Dinosaur

There is another mistake in Jurassic Park and Jurassic World about Deinonychus (or Velociraptor in the movies). He's moving way too fast. In fact, it was much slower than other theropods such as ornithomimus, although recent research suggests that Deinonychus could run at about 10 kilometers per hour in pursuit of prey. If it seems slow, try it yourself...

The first Deinonychus egg was found only in 2000.

Although scientists have found eggs of other North American theropods, especially Troodon, they have practically no eggs of Deinonychus. The only (but not one hundred percent) candidate was found in 2000. Analyzes show that Deinonychus hatched offspring in the manner of a chitipati feathered dinosaur similar in size. Citipati was not a raptor in the full sense of the word, but a type of theropod known as an oviraptor.

The results of archaeological excavations are always interesting, and often unpredictable. However, sometimes surprise reaches such a limit that one involuntarily thinks: apparently, nature itself mocked these creatures ... Some fossil prehistoric animals had a very strange appearance, equipped with such "devices" as vaulted skulls or crescent-shaped toenails. National Geographic magazine presented a ranking of the most bizarre dinosaurs that once lived on planet Earth.

1. Amargasaurus

Prominent Feature: Double row of spines along neck and back

Period of residence: 130-125 million years ago

Found: in Argentina

This diplodocid had a very interesting feature: a row of spikes up to 65 cm long each, located on the back and neck. They could form a spiked mane or be covered in skin, creating a structure like a double sail. Whatever form they took, it was a very unusual device, and it probably played a role social life animal or used for protection - a valuable acquisition for an animal that was almost half as long as its relatives.

Amargasaurus had a thin, whip-like tail and blunt teeth adapted for plucking leaves from branches. Like other sauropods, it probably swallowed stones, or gastroliths, to aid in the digestion of food. With its spiked spine, Amargasaurus resembled Dicreosaurus, and some paleontologists separate these two species into a separate family.

2. Carnotaurus

Prominent Feature: Strong legs and small forelegs

Period of residence: 82-67 million years ago

Found: in Argentina

The developed front legs of the Carnotaurus give the impression that the beast was conceived as a perfect killing machine, but at the final stage some details were not enough. However, predatory happiness is not in the front legs - the carnotaurus instilled fear in other dinosaurs with strong jaws, long and fast hind limbs. Carnosaurus exhibits features similar to the dinosaurs of the Northern Hemisphere, such as sharp, thin, crooked teeth, characteristic of carnivorous theropods.

Its forelimbs were very short, like those of tyrannosaurs. North America and Asia. However, the carnosaurus also had individual features; it had a horn. Horns were bony outgrowths in the upper part of the skull, directed to the side and up. During life, they apparently were covered with a cornea, like the horns of modern bulls or birans.

Carnosaurus horns most likely played the role of identifying marks, but since only a few skeletons of these dinosaurs have been found, it remains unclear whether only males had horns or females too. The muzzle of the carnosaurus was very narrow, but below the horns, the skull widened sharply, so that the eyes were shifted slightly to the side. thanks to this, the carnosaurus could have had binocular vision, when the visual fields of the left and right vision intersect. A person has the same type of vision. An animal with such vision can accurately determine the distance, which makes it an excellent hunter: carnosaurs looked out for their prey and caught it with dexterity.

3. Parasaurolophus

Prominent feature: tubular comb

Period of residence: 76 million years ago

Found: in North America

Parasaurolophus is the most remarkable representative of the duck-billed dinosaurs with hollow crests. The nasal bones of his skull turned into giant long hollow tubes, which, curving, stretched behind his head. What was the purpose of such education? Paleontologists don't yet know for sure, but they think they were some kind of voice amplifiers, similar to the nasal creases on the crestless heads of hadrosaurs. With such an "instrument" the animal could make sounds like a trombone in order to attract females or challenge rivals to a duel.

According to another point of view, such pipes created air circulation in the skull and cooled the brain in the heat. The luxurious crest of a parasaurolophus could also have had another function: to work as a kind of reflector of branches whipping in the face when the lizard made its way through the thicket - note that the crest lies exactly in the notch of the spine, while the shape of the body becomes streamlined. It is possible that all these hypotheses are correct and the crest was a multifunctional structure. And if he had a signal function, then, probably, the tail of the animal also performed the same duties. The tail was broad, laterally flattened, and very much like a plank. It appears that large patches of skin on the sides of the tail were brightly colored. With its help, the parasaurolophus also, probably, challenged the enemy to a duel, or gave signs.

4. Maciakasaurus

Outstanding Feature: Amazing Teeth

Period of residence: 70-65 million years ago

Found: in Madagascar

The fossilized remains of the jaw of Masiakasaurus - a dinosaur the size of a German shepherd - were found in Madagascar in 2001. Translated from the local dialect, the name of the dinosaur is translated as "the wrong lizard."

The main feature of Masiakasaurus is not in its small size, but in specific teeth. The first tooth of the lower jaw protrudes forward at an angle of 90˚. Other teeth are straightened and arranged vertically. The teeth themselves are also unique: in the back of the jaw they are flattened and serrated, the front ones are long, almost conical, with spiky ends and tiny serrations. This testifies to a special way of obtaining food: the Masiakasaurus caught up with the victim, wounded it with its front teeth, and chewed it with its back ones.

5. Tuojiangosaurus

Prominent Feature: Shoulder spikes

Period of residence: 161-155 million years ago

Found: in China

In the best traditions of the Jurassic period, the bulky Tuojiangosaurus has a long, spiny tail and spiny plates along its back. But this dinosaur is unique, the remains of which were found in the middle of the twentieth century in China, thanks to the sharp conical spikes that “decorate” its shoulders. Scientists differ on the function of spines. One of the versions: the spikes protected the body of Tuojiangosaurus from attacks by Alosaurs or other predators.

6. Deinocheirus

Prominent Feature: Giant paws

Period of residence: 70 million years ago

Found: in Mongolia

Deinocheirus (translated from Greek - "terrible hand") is one of the theropods, a predatory dinosaur. Anatomically, Deinocherus probably looked like a modern ostrich, but scientists do not know for sure what the body of this predator with huge arms looked like. Each of the Deinocheirus paws found extends 2.4 m. Such anatomy was especially useful during hunting. It is assumed that thanks to its clawed paws, Deinocheirus could climb trees.

7. Dracorex

Prominent feature: sharp head

Period of residence: 67-65 million years ago

Found: in North America

"Dracorex" is Latin for "king of dragons". His skull, covered with spikes and sharp protrusions, really has a royally menacing look. However, its owner himself, most likely, did not resemble a fire-breathing monster, but a wild pig.

8 Epidendrosaurus

Prominent feature: very long finger

Period of residence: 160 million years ago

Found: in China

The title of the smallest among the most bizarre dinosaurs belongs to the tiny epidendrosaurus, a representative of theropods the size of a sparrow. However, this little creature had prominent forelimbs. Epidendrosaurus was described in 2002 by paleontologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is the smallest of known to science dinosaurs, although scientists cannot say for sure whether the bone prints on the stone belong to a young or an adult. But the object of greatest interest to experts is the function of the limbs of Epidendrosaurus. According to a common version, the epidendrosaurus used its long fingers to search for insect larvae in the trees.

9. Styracosaurus

Prominent feature: horned collar

Period of residence: 75 million years ago

Found: in North America

Styracosaurus is a herbivorous dinosaur that made this list thanks to its amazing collar. The collar of the Styracosaurus is adorned with six long, pointed spines. In addition, the dinosaur is armed with a 60 cm long horn. No predators are afraid of such an animal.
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Material from National Geographic supplemented by materials and illustrations from dinopedia.ru

Materials used: http://anastgal.livejournal.com/1390092.html#cutid1

The largest representative of his squad is rightfully considered its main symbol. The dinosaur was distinguished by a strange barrel-shaped body and at the same time managed to move on two short legs. Latin name comes from a pair of ancient Greek words - lizard-mower. It is directly related to the long claws on its upper limbs, which are shaped like curved daggers.

Business card

Time and place of existence

This is how the Argentine paleoartist Gabriel Lio represents the dinosaur.

Types and history of discovery

The first remains of therizinosaurus were discovered during the Soviet-Mongolian expedition to the Nemegt formation (Umnegovi aimag, Mongolia) in 1948. They included several gigantic claws, which, given the supposed cornea, reached a meter in length. Fossils were described by Russian paleontologist Yevgeny Maleev in 1954. He originally ranked the genus Therizinosaurs among swimming turtles, reaching as much as 4.5 meters in length. According to him, the ancient reptiles used such impressive claws to collect the main food - algae. The historical fact is by no means surprising, because the available remains were extremely scarce, and therizinosaurids were not known at that time. The claw specimen of the holotype is labeled PIN 551-483.

At the beginning of the article, we explained the generic name of Therizinosaurus. The specific name cheloniformis is translated from Latin as "shaped in the image of a turtle." It is not difficult to guess that this is connected with the aforementioned assumption of Maleev.

Claws could belong to any order of reptiles, and the question remained open until 1970. It was then that another Soviet paleontologist, Anatoly Konstantinovich Rozhdestvensky, identified a dinosaur close to theropods in the fossil remains. However, the appearance of Therizinosaurus continued to be a mystery. This has given rise to unusual speculations, in which the dinosaur was presented as a large predator, such as a giganotosaurus, but also had giant claws on its feet, like a Deinonychus. And, like the latter, Therizinosaurus used them as weapons when hunting.

Subsequent expeditions lifted the veil a little. In 1976, the Mongolian paleontologist Rinchengiin Barsbold describes specimen IGM 100/15-17, which is a set of claws and parts of the forelimbs of a Therizinosaurus. Then in 1982 his colleague and compatriot Altangereliin Perle describes an IGM 100/45 specimen consisting of hind limb bones.

This is followed by the most important discoveries of close relatives, which finally made it possible to restore a fairly complete skeletal image of Therizinosaurus.

A group of females led by a brightly colored male by Spanish designer José Antonio Penas.

But at the same time, questions of origin still remained open for some time. Due to their superficial resemblance to prosauropods, it has been suggested that they are the direct ancestors of therizinosaurids. However, the discovery of the Chinese Beipyaosaurus and Alshasaurus, and then the ancient Falkaria, proved the theory of origin from theropods.

body structure

As you know, most bipedal dinosaurs were digitigrade, that is, when moving, they relied on the bones of their fingers. However, now there is more and more evidence in favor of the fact that Therizinosaurus was a plantigrade animal, that is, when moving, it relied on a formed foot. First, this assumption is supported by the shape of therizinosaurid footprints, detailed analysis which are presented in the work of the Russian paleontologist Andrey Gerasimovich Sennikov "Reading the footprints of segnosaurs".

We present to your attention a skeletal reconstruction of therizinosaurus from this work, which shows the position of the bones when walking. Computer processing by Andrea Kau.

Secondly, this is evidenced by a number of anatomical features: the complex model is fundamentally different from the model of classical bipedal dinosaurs. The tail of Therizinosaurus was very short and could not serve as a serious balancing tool. At the same time, the body was high and ended long neck. Therefore, the design becomes even less stable. The wide foot really makes the Therizinosaurus model more viable.

Forelimbs with giant claws

This strange adaptation of therizinosaurs has no analogues in the modern animal kingdom, therefore it still remains a prehistoric mystery. What are the current assumptions?

The first version speaks of intraspecific competition and determination of a place in the general hierarchy depending on the size and shape of the claws of therizinosaurus. Here we add the attraction of a partner during the mating season through unusual dances, screams and the simultaneous waving of long limbs with claws.

The second version is a tool for obtaining food. With its claws, therizinosaurus could cut off the soft stems of some plants, as well as extract edible roots from the ground at shallow depths.

The third version is predominantly defensive functions: the claws helped the Therizinosaurus to protect itself and its offspring from groups of relatively small predators.

In our opinion, the version of the universal instrument is the most justified, that is, several of the listed points could have taken place at once. Here you can draw a parallel with the graceful antlers of deer. Most likely, the claws grew throughout life, that is, even a breakdown at the base was not terrible for Therizinosaurus.

Other aspects

While most modern paleoartists depict Therizinosaurus as feathered, this is nothing more than speculation.

An elegant version of feathers is offered to us by the American artist Todd Marshall. It is based only on the confirmed plumage of some early therizinosaurids. So far, there is no physical evidence specifically for Therizinosaurus.

The stiff tail was very short. In general, the adult Therizinosaurus was a massive bipedal animal. He led a measured life, somewhat reminiscent of a giant ground sloth.

Therizinosaurus skeleton

Below is another tentative reconstruction of the skeleton.

Nutrition and lifestyle

In the literature, one can come across assumptions that therizinosaurus was able to destroy anthills or termite mounds with its claws and eat their inhabitants, like anteaters. However, it is unfounded, because such food would not be enough for five-ton adult specimens of therizinosaurs even for partial saturation. For example, a giant anteater weighs only up to 41 kilograms. Anteaters do have long claws, but they are much thicker and curved. That is, they are more adapted for regular digging without the risk of serious damage. At the same time, the modern anteater has a lot of unique skeletal details that allow it to occupy this niche. Nothing like this is observed in Therizinosaurus, therefore the version is quickly swept aside.

Despite the colossal size of the "mowing lizards", they had natural enemies- tarbosaurs. Adult representatives of these were a threat to any herbivorous individual. After all, the long thin claws of therizinosaurus represented very little danger to their thick skin. There was only hope for the effect of intimidation and swipe developed limbs.

But the claws, coupled with the latter, could be quite effective against small predators.

Detachment - lizards

Family - Dromaeosaurus

Genus/Species - Deinonychus antirrhopus. Deinonychus

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Height: 1.5 m

Length: 3-3.3 m.

Weight: 50-75 kg.

Teeth length: 2 cm (crown height).

The lifestyle and origin of this carnivorous lizard has been a big mystery to researchers until recently. Now, looking at the reconstructed skeleton of this dinosaur, you can immediately notice three of its features: powerful jaws, huge claws and long forelimbs. So impressive was Deinonychus antirrhopus.

BREEDING

Until now, scientists do not know how the Deinonychus dinosaurs reproduced. It is believed that females laid eggs that were cared for, similar to modern birds.

LIFESTYLE

Food: it was a carnivorous hunter; probably also fed on carrion. Most likely, he hunted in a flock to overcome large prey.

APPEARANCE

Body predatory dinosaur deinonychus was up to 3.3 m long; he was about 1.5 m tall. Deinonychus was larger than other members of the dromaeosaurus family. This carnivorous predator had a relatively large head - 35 cm long.

Deinonychus had a strong and extremely flexible neck. It had large teeth that resembled double-edged blades. Reconstruction of the muscles of the head showed that their movements must be fast, and the compression of the jaws is strong, so a predator that grabbed the victim's body with its teeth could easily pull out pieces of meat. Due to its light build and the ability to stand on 2 legs, Deinonychus was an excellent runner. This dinosaur could pursue its prey for a very long time. A long tail helped him keep his balance while running. Due to the special structure of the tail (there were bone plates near the end), Deinonychus kept
its parallel to the ground. By waving its tail, the lizard could easily change the direction of its movement. During the hunt, he grabbed his prey with his front paws, at the same time with a sharp claw of the hind limb, he ripped open her stomach. But most amazing feature Deinonychus had no strong forelimbs, no sharp claw or razor-like teeth.

The most amazing thing, according to scientists, is that he had a very large brain. The size of his brain is approaching the size of the brain of birds and mammals!

RELATED SPECIES AND ENEMIES

Species related to Deinonychus have been found in Mongolia and North America. One of them is Phaedrolosaurus, or "brilliant lizard", whose fossils were found in China. It lived in the same period as Deinonychus. Any of the many therapods (animals that move on 2 legs) that lived in the same While Deinonychus could have been a potential enemy, most of the large four-legged sauropods could easily overpower Deinonychus, but these herbivorous giants rarely attacked their neighbors, unless, of course, they provoked them to attack. Young dinosaurs, which moved far away from their parents or herds, were most at risk.Because Deinonychus hunted in packs, they could attack large dinosaurs.

BREEDING

Little is known about how Deinonychus reproduced. Based on the available data from studies of other dinosaur species, such as sauropods and hadrosaurs (which include the recently found Mayosaurs), it is believed that these pangolins could lay eggs. The prints of the hind limbs that have been preserved suggest that animals such as Deinonychus not only roamed and hunted in packs, but also laid eggs. It is believed that during the mating period, bloody skirmishes occurred between males. Opponents jumped on each other and exchanged blows. Perhaps with their sharp claws they inflicted deep wounds on each other.

INTERESTING INFORMATION. DO YOU KNOW WHAT...

• Hunting in a pack helped these small lizards to overcome even very large animals.
• During the run, the large claws of the Deinonychus hind legs were raised, so the dinosaur pushed off the ground with two other fingers. The front limbs of this dinosaur were extremely strong.
• Fossils of Tenontosaurus are often found at the sites of Deinonychus antirrhopus. This large herbivorous dinosaur was probably the main prey of the Deinonychus, which, although small, hunted in packs. If the Tenontosaurus tried to flee, one of the Deinonychus clung to its tail or hind legs, while other members of the flock chopped the neck, stomach or chest of the victim.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF DEINONYCHUS

Head: quite large compared to the body (length about 35 cm). Movable jaws and bent back, sharp teeth served to tear the meat.

Neck: long and flexible.

Tail: towards the end, the structure of the tail was reinforced with bone rods, which helped the dinosaur keep the tail parallel to the ground during movement. With the help of the tail, Deinonychus easily changed the direction of movement. In addition, the tail helped the lizard to maintain balance when he, standing on one leg, struck the victim.

Claws on the forelimbs: due to their sharpness, they were excellent for capturing prey. With their help, the animal could defend itself or attack.

Claws on the hind limbs: extremely sharp. There was a huge claw on the inner finger. It was usually held up so the dinosaur ran on 2 toes. Deinonychus could strike the victim while standing on one leg.

- Locations of fossils

WHERE AND WHEN DEINONYCH LIVED

This predator lived on the territory of modern North America at the end of the Jurassic period. In 1964, many bones of this pangolin were found under a hill in Montana. His distant relatives- Velociraptor, which means "clever robber" and Dromaeosaurus, which means "running lizard" - lived at the end of the Cretaceous period.