Dangerous Deadly Deinonychus Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1931

The first Deinonychus fossils were discovered by palaeontologist Barnum Brown in 1931 near the town of Bilings, Montana. He named the new dinosaur Daptosaurus ("Active Lizard") but failed to publish any scientific papers that would have Daptosaurus officially named and recognised.

Thirty-three years later, in 1964, another palaeontologist, John Ostrom, discovered more of the same fossils. Since Daptosaurus wasn't scientifically recognised, he was able to have the name changed. Thus, in 1969, Daptosaurus became Deinonychus.

Answer: four

This was the fossil site discovered by John Ostrom in 1964. Four Deinonychus (three adults and a juvenile) were discovered lying beside the remains of the large herbivore Tenontosaurus.

Answer: it only walked on two toes

All predatory dinosaurs had four toes: three that pointed forwards and one pointing backwards. If you look at the feet of a bird, you'll see the same design. Most walked on these three forward-facing toes. However, Deinonychus and its relatives only walked on their third and fourth toes.

As with other predators, the first toe was the small backward-pointing one. On the second toe was a spectacular weapon: a razor-sharp six-inch-long claw, used for stabbing and slashing at prey. Strong muscles held this toe upright, so the claw didn't touch the ground.

This weapon is what gave Deinonychus its name, which means "Terrible Claw".

Answer: True

The periods in which the dinosaurs lived were divided into various stages. Deinonychus lived during the Aptian and Albian stages of the Cretaceous period. These stages ran from 125 million years to 98 million years ago.

Answer: to stop the escape of struggling prey

Like most dinosaurs, Deinonychus could not chew its food. Instead, it would swallow chunks of meat whole. Once Deinonychus bit into its prey, the backward-curving teeth would prevent the prey from escaping.

Answer: forty

Deinonychus wasn't quite as fast as dinosaurs like Gallimimus and Struthiomimus, but it could still run twice as fast as an Olympic sprinter.

Answer: balance, agility, energy preservation

We used to think that dinosaurs walked with their tails dragging on the ground. Now we know they didn't. All dinosaurs, big and small, carried their tails off the ground and used them for a variety of purposes. The tail counterbalanced the front half of the body and, in some cases, could be used as a weapon.

In Deinonychus, the tail was stiffened by overlapping bony rods. Held out straight behind the body, it helped the animal keep its balance. It also helped with agility, allowing Deinonychus to change direction quickly when running. Finally, the bony rods stopped the tail flexing from side to side in time with the leg movements. This way it preserved energy.

Answer: True

While most people know them as raptors, palaeontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts (like myself) prefer to call them by their proper name: Dromaeosaurs.

Dromaeosaurs ranged in size from the tiny one-metre-long Microraptor to the six-foot-tall, seven-metre-long Utahraptor. Deinonychus stood about five feet tall and three metres long.

Answer: smell and hearing

It's safe to assume that Deinonychus had a good sense of smell as this is one of the senses it would have relied on to help locate prey. Studies of the skull have also shown that the structure of the inner ear may have allowed Deinonychus to hear low frequency sounds.

Answer: wolves

Wolves hunt in groups (commonly called packs). This enables them to attack and kill animals larger than themselves. Deinonychus shared its world with giant herbivores such as Iguanodon and Tenontosaurus. It's likely that Deinonychus preyed on these larger dinosaurs, but in order to kill them, it would have needed to hunt in a pack.