Nothronychus

Nothronychus was the first therizinosaur ever found in the Americas. All earlier therizinosaur fossils came from China and Mongolia.1

Its claws were up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) long and curved like hooks. Scientists think it used them to pull down branches to eat.1

Nothronychus had four forward-facing toes on each foot, which helped it walk slowly and steadily.1

One species, Nothronychus graffami, was found in rocks that were once under a shallow sea called the Western Interior Seaway. The dinosaur's bones were mixed with marine reptile fossils.1

Nothronychus lived about 94 to 89 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.14

The first Nothronychus bone was mistaken for part of a horned dinosaur's skull. Only later did scientists realize it was a hip bone from a therizinosaur.1