| Nothronychus | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Name: |
'Slothful Claw' |
|
Age: |
Late Cretaceous |
|
Length: |
5 Metres |
|
Weight: |
880kg |
|
Range: |
North America |
Nothronychus are related to some dinosaurs with ferocious reputations, like the carnivorous Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus. However these weren't meat-eaters at all, they had evolved to eat normal plants. These enigmatic and bizarre-looking theropod dinosaurs had a pot-belly, long arms and agile hands with impressive 30cm long claws. They could have been used to pull down branches to reach the leaves or strip bark from trees.
The wicked looking claws may also have defended Nothronychus from predators or fend off rivals. Nothronychus was the first member of the Therizinosaur family to be found in the Americas. Most of the others, such as Therizinosaurus, have been found in China and Mongolia.
