Dino card No. 1711 of 2,027

Stenonychosaurus

Say it: sten-oh-NY-koh-SORE-us

Name means: “narrow claw lizard”1

Ate: A bit of everythingRaptorsLate Cretaceous

Stenonychosaurus was a small, speedy dinosaur that lived in Canada about 77 to 74 million years ago. It had big eyes, a big brain, and sharp claws, so it was probably a smart hunter.1 2

Lived

84 to 66 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Alberta, Canada, and possibly Montana, USA1 2

Food

A bit of everything1 2

Length

up to 2.5 m1

about

Weight

up to 35 kg1

Height

0.9 m3

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 9 house cats

as long as 2.5 dogs nose to tailas long as 14 bananas end to endas heavy as 7 watermelons

How big was Stenonychosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Stenonychosaurus had very long, slender legs, so it could run fast.1

It had a large, sickle-shaped claw on each second toe that it held off the ground when running.1

Its eyes faced forward, giving it good binocular vision, which helps with judging distance when hunting.1

The teeth of Stenonychosaurus had large serrations with pits at the intersections, and the points pointed toward the tip of the tooth.1

Some scientists think it might have eaten plants because its jaws met in a broad U-shape, similar to an iguana.1

It lived in a warm coastal floodplain with forests, alongside big predators like Daspletosaurus and Gorgosaurus.1

AI-made picture of Stenonychosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Stenonychosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Stenonychosaurus

?How big was Stenonychosaurus?

Stenonychosaurus was a small dinosaur, up to 2.5 metres long and 35 kilograms in body mass. The largest specimens were about the size of Deinonychus and Unenlagia.1 2

?What did Stenonychosaurus eat?

Scientists think it was probably an omnivore, eating both meat and plants. Its teeth had large serrations and its jaws met in a broad U-shape, similar to an iguana, which suggests it could bite through tough plant material.1 2

?Was Stenonychosaurus smart?

Yes, it had one of the largest brains of any dinosaur relative to its body size, comparable to modern birds. It was probably cleverer than most dinosaurs, but not as smart as a human or a crow.1 2

?Could Stenonychosaurus run fast?

Yes, it had very long, slender hind limbs, which suggests it could run quickly. It also held its sickle-shaped claws off the ground when running.1 2

?When did Stenonychosaurus live?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 77 to 74 million years ago, in what is now Canada.2

?Is Stenonychosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a small theropod dinosaur, specifically a troodontid. Troodontids are a group of bird-like dinosaurs, not birds themselves.1 2

?Did Stenonychosaurus have feathers?

The sources do not mention feathers on Stenonychosaurus. However, it is closely related to birds and other feathered dinosaurs, but we don't have direct evidence from the fossils described.1

?Why did Stenonychosaurus have big eyes?

Its eyes were very large and slightly forward facing, giving it good depth perception. This might have helped it hunt, and some scientists think it may have been partially nocturnal.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Stenonychosaurus was a fierce meat-eater like other raptors.

Truth: Its teeth and jaws look more like those of plant-eaters, so scientists now think it may have eaten both meat and plants.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Stenonychosaurus
Named by: Sternberg 19324
Group: Raptors
Family / clade: Troodontidae4
Classification: Theropoda > Troodontidae4
Age of the rocks: 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)4
Rock formations: Dinosaur Park, Oldman, Lance4
Countries: Canada, USA4
Fossil records: 14 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Charles Mortram Sternberg named Stenonychosaurus in 1932, based on a foot, hand fragments, and some tail bones from Alberta, Canada.1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Stenonychosaurus is a separate genus from Troodon, and whether it was a strict predator or an omnivore.1 2

Where the facts come from

Stenonychosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Stenonychosaurus (nhm.ac.uk)
Stenonychosaurus: Overview, Size, Habitat, & Other Facts - Dinosaur Dictionary (dinosaurdictionary.com)
Stenonychosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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