Deinonychus

1 9.9

A fast two-legged meat-eating dinosaur with a large curved claw on each back foot from the time of dinosaurs

noun
/daɪˈnɒnɪkəs/

Specialized

: Deinonychus

Examples

"It's a small carnivore that hunted in packs, like Deinonychus," Tim said.

Fiction book (1990)
Footprints from Montana show that medium-sized bipeds such as Deinonychus hunted in ferocious gangs of four, ripping the entrails out of prey 10 times their size.
Others became dinner themselves, eaten by smaller carnivores like Deinonychus (below), which attacked in slashing, leaping, ferocious gangs of four.
It was also Ostrom who named the find Deinonychus ("terrible claw").

Synonyms

dromaeosaur

vsDeinonychus

Specialized

1 9.9

A fast two-legged meat-eating dinosaur with a curved claw on each foot

is one specific species in that family rather than the broad family group

bird-footed dinosaur

vsDeinonychus

Specialized

1 9.9

A dinosaur that eats meat and has short front legs and strong back legs for running

is defined by a large curved hind claw rather than just strong hind legs

Dromaeosauridae

vsDeinonychus

Specialized

9.9

A family of meat-eating dinosaurs like Velociraptor that run on two legs

is one species within that family rather than the entire family group

Surface Forms

Deinonychus singular

Deinonychuses plural

Etymology

Deinonychus comes from Greek parts dein- meaning 'terrible' and onyx appearing as -onychus meaning 'claw'. So the name is 'terrible claw', and that helps you remember it was a fast, meat-eating dinosaur with a large, curved claw on each back foot.