Deinocheirus (/ˌdaɪnoʊˈkaɪrəs/DY-no-KY-rəs) is a genus of large ornithomimosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous around 70 million years ago. In 1965, a pair of large arms, shoulder girdles, and a few other bones of a new dinosaur were first discovered in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. In 1970, this specimen became the holotype of the only species within the genus, Deinocheirus mirificus; the genus name is Greek for "horrible hand". No further remains were discovered for almost fifty years, and its nature remained a mystery. Two more complete specimens were described in 2014, which shed light on many aspects of the animal. Parts of these new specimens had been looted from Mongolia some years before, but were repatriated in 2014.
Deinocheirus was an unusual ornithomimosaur, the largest of the clade at 11 m (36 ft) long, and weighing 6.5 t (7.2 short tons). Though it was a bulky animal, it had many hollow bones which saved weight. The arms were among the largest of any bipedal dinosaur at 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long, with large, blunt claws on its three-fingered hands. The legs were relatively short, and bore blunt claws. Its vertebrae had tall neural spines that formed a "sail" along its back. Most of the vertebrae and some other bones were highly pneumatised by invading air sacs. The tail ended in pygostyle-like vertebrae, which indicate the presence of a fan of feathers. The skull was 1.024 m (3.36 ft) long, with a wide bill and a deep lower jaw, similar to those of hadrosaurs.
The classification of Deinocheirus was long uncertain, and it was initially placed in the theropod group Carnosauria, but similarities with ornithomimosaurians were soon noted. After more complete remains were found, Deinocheirus was shown to be a primitive ornithomimosaurian, most closely related to the smaller genera Garudimimus and Beishanlong, together forming the family Deinocheiridae. Members of this group were not adapted for speed, unlike other ornithomimosaurs. Deinocheirus is thought to have been omnivorous; its skull shape indicates a diet of plants, fish scales were found in association with one specimen and gastroliths were also present in the stomach region of the specimen. The large claws may have been used for digging and gathering plants. Bite marks on Deinocheirus bones have been attributed to the tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus.
Bite marks on Deinocheirus bones have been attributed to the tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus. The first known fossil remains of Deinocheirus were discovered...
group include Nqwebasaurus, Pelecanimimus, Shenzhousaurus, Hexing and Deinocheirus, the arms of which reached 2.4 m (8 feet) in length. More advanced species...
Dromiceiomimus, Garudimimus and Deinocheirus. In a 2014 study by Yuong-Nam Lee and his colleagues, describing new specimens of Deinocheirus, it was found that the...
is the second-largest ornithomimosaur discovered, only surpassed by Deinocheirus. Three fossils of Beishanlong were in the early twenty-first century...
co-author Ewa Roniewicz in 1970 during their naming and description of Deinocheirus—another large and enigmatic theropod from the formation that was initially...
Nemegt Formation, where it lived alongside its relatives Anserimimus and Deinocheirus. Gallimimus was featured in the movie Jurassic Park, in a scene that...
pockets in their bones (especially vertebra), although one theropod, Deinocheirus, shows a rivalling number of air pockets. Birds have a system of air...
specimens of the long-enigmatic Deinocheirus were described by Yuong-Nam Lee and colleagues. The remains showed that Deinocheirus was in fact an ornithomimosaur...
infraorders). This dichotomy was upset by the discovery of Deinonychus and Deinocheirus in 1969, neither of which could be classified easily as "carnosaurs"...
regulator. Other dinosaurs with humps were Spinosaurus, Morelladon, and Deinocheirus mirificus. Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is a species of bony...
Ornithomimus, Reba Rhabdodon, Gwendolyn Glyptops William Ainscough as Dennis Deinocheirus Kathleen Barr as Angela Avisaurus (in "T. Rex Migration"), Dolores Tyrannosaurus...
Giganotosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Therizinosaurus and Deinocheirus were among the tallest of the theropods. The largest ornithischian dinosaur...
fragmentary gastralia of the holotype specimen of the large ornithomimosaur Deinocheirus mirificus were reported. The size and shape of the bite marks match the...
discovered another specimen of Deinocheirus. This specimen is now catalogued as MPC-D 100/127. Like the 2006 Deinocheirus find, MPC-D 100/127 also been...
Deinocheiridae and Therizinosauridae (then only known from the genera Deinocheirus and Therizinosaurus, both mainly represented by large forelimbs found...
series. In "The Feather Revolution", the first episode of the series, the Deinocheirus and Troodon of the Mesozoic Era are focused on. The second episode deals...
2023 The Feathered Species Pack adds the Yutyrannus, Sinosauropteryx, Deinocheirus, and Jeholopterus as hatchable species. Prehistoric Marine Species Pack...
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