Scott Hanko
Deinocheirus mirificus Forearms
Deinocheirus (pronounced /ˌdaɪnɵˈkaɪrəs/ DY-no-KY-rəs, Greek: 'terrible hand') is a genus of large theropod dinosaur, possibly an ornithomimosaurian, which lived in what is now southern Mongolia, during the late Cretaceous Period (Nemegt Formation, dating to around 70 million years ago). The only known fossil remains are a single pair of massive, forelimbs and the remains of some ribs and vertebrae. Deinocheirus was named by Halszka Osmólska and Ewa Roniewicz in 1970. The type species and only named species is D. mirificus (Latin: 'unusual', 'peculiar').
Deinocheirus is considered by most paleontologists to be an ornithomimosaur, as the structure of its arms is similar to other dinosaurs of this group. This would make Deinocheirus by far the largest ornithomimosaur (indeed, one of the largest theropods) weighing roughly 9,000 kg (20,000 lb). Makovicky et al. pointed out that if Deinocheirus is an ornithomimosaur, it is a fairly primitive one, since it lacks some of the features typically seen in ornithomimosaurs. Kobayashi and Rinchen Barsbold added Deinocheirus to several recent cladistic analyses of theropods and were unable to resolve its exact relationships but noted some support for it as a possible ornithomimosaur.
The most well-preserved parts of Deinocheirus are its forelimbs, which measured 2.4 m (8 ft) long, with 25 cm (10 in) long claws. In 2010, Phil Senter and H.J. Robins attempted to estimate the total height at the hip of Deinocheirus. By studying more completely known theropods, they found that the length of the humerus (upper arm bone) and scapula (shoulder blade) could be used to accurately predict hip height. Using this equation, Senter and Robins found that Deinocheirus likely measured 3.3 m (11 ft) -3.6 m (12 ft) tall at the hip. This places it as possibly the tallest known theropod, taller than any contemporary predators such as Tarbosaurus.
American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY.
Deinocheirus mirificus Forearms
Deinocheirus (pronounced /ˌdaɪnɵˈkaɪrəs/ DY-no-KY-rəs, Greek: 'terrible hand') is a genus of large theropod dinosaur, possibly an ornithomimosaurian, which lived in what is now southern Mongolia, during the late Cretaceous Period (Nemegt Formation, dating to around 70 million years ago). The only known fossil remains are a single pair of massive, forelimbs and the remains of some ribs and vertebrae. Deinocheirus was named by Halszka Osmólska and Ewa Roniewicz in 1970. The type species and only named species is D. mirificus (Latin: 'unusual', 'peculiar').
Deinocheirus is considered by most paleontologists to be an ornithomimosaur, as the structure of its arms is similar to other dinosaurs of this group. This would make Deinocheirus by far the largest ornithomimosaur (indeed, one of the largest theropods) weighing roughly 9,000 kg (20,000 lb). Makovicky et al. pointed out that if Deinocheirus is an ornithomimosaur, it is a fairly primitive one, since it lacks some of the features typically seen in ornithomimosaurs. Kobayashi and Rinchen Barsbold added Deinocheirus to several recent cladistic analyses of theropods and were unable to resolve its exact relationships but noted some support for it as a possible ornithomimosaur.
The most well-preserved parts of Deinocheirus are its forelimbs, which measured 2.4 m (8 ft) long, with 25 cm (10 in) long claws. In 2010, Phil Senter and H.J. Robins attempted to estimate the total height at the hip of Deinocheirus. By studying more completely known theropods, they found that the length of the humerus (upper arm bone) and scapula (shoulder blade) could be used to accurately predict hip height. Using this equation, Senter and Robins found that Deinocheirus likely measured 3.3 m (11 ft) -3.6 m (12 ft) tall at the hip. This places it as possibly the tallest known theropod, taller than any contemporary predators such as Tarbosaurus.
American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY.