Cretaceous
Deinonychus
Deinonychus antirrhopus
The catalogue presents Deinonychus as a carnivore member of Dromaeosauridae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 143.1–100.5 Ma. Its estimated range is 3.4 m in length and 70–100 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Deinonychus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Ostrom (1969).
The PBDB places it in Eudromaeosauria, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Dromaeosauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Dromaeosauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Berriasian to the Cenomanian.
The PBDB catalogues 35 occurrences, with material from the Cloverly Formation (31), from the Antlers Formation (3) and from the Holly Creek Formation (1). Provenance: United States.
The catalogue records the holotype as YPM 5205 and the type locality as “Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA”.
- YPM 5205
- Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA
The catalogue's reference measurements are 3.4 m in length and 70–100 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 3.4 m
- 70-100 kg
The record gathers 73 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 3.4 m
- Weight
- 70–100 kg
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 143.1–100.5 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1964
- Described by
- John Ostrom
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Dromaeosauridae
- Genus
- Deinonychus
- Species
- D. antirrhopus
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- YPM 5205
- Type locality
- Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA