Therizinosaurus
herbivoreLate Cretaceous (70 Ma)
PALAEONTOLOGICAL RECORD
Therizinosaurus is a genus of very large therizinosaurid dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Asia. It contains a single species, Therizinosaurus cheloniformis, known from the fossiliferous Nemegt Formation. The first remains of Therizinosaurus were found in 1948 by a Mongolian field expedition in the Gobi Desert and later described by Evgeny Maleev in 1954. The genus is only known from a few bones, including gigantic manual unguals, from which it gets its name, and additional findings comprising fore and hindlimb elements that were discovered from the 1960s through the 1980s.
DISCOVERY
First found in 1948 by a Soviet-Mongolian expedition.
DIETARY PROFILE
Strictly herbivorous; utilized long claws for stripping high foliage.
NOTABLE PALAEONTOLOGY FACTS
- Possessed the longest claws of any known animal, reaching up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) in length.
- Despite its terrifying claws, it was absolutely a slow-moving herbivore.
HOLLYWOOD INACCURACIES
- Its blindness in the film is specific to that individual, not a species trait.
- It is correctly shown as feathered.
SCIENTIFIC DEPICTION
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS
ESTIMATED LENGTH
Fossil Record10 meters
InGen Clone10 meters
ESTIMATED WEIGHT
Fossil Record5,000 kg
InGen Clone5,000 kg
Accuracy Rating
MOSTLY ACCURATE