Page 50 - Dinosaur (DK Eyewitness Books)

Claws and their uses Curved claw
resembles a
fishing hook

CȭȢȸȴ ȤȢȯ ȵȦȭȭ ȶȴ ȮȶȤȩ about how dinosaurs lived. Predatory Groove where a
dinosaurs used sharp, curved claws on their narrow fingers as horny sheath
was attached
weapons, in the same way that an eagle uses its talons for hunting.
When attacking prey, a theropod would hook its claws into the
victim’s skin and cling on as it bit its prey to death. A group of
maniraptorans called dromaeosaurids—including Deinonychus and
its relatives—were mostly no bigger than a man, and often tackled
plant-eaters larger than themselves by savaging their flanks with big,
sharp, toe claws. But the longest claws of all belonged to the weird
plant-eating theropod, Therizinosaurus. Maybe these strange claws
helped it to fend off attackers. Most plant-eaters and omnivores
(animals that feed on both meat and plants) had no weapons
like this. Many had claws that had evolved into short, stubby
nails or small hooves to protect the fingers and toes from
wear. Some ornithischians may have used their claws
for digging up edible plants or burrowing.

A FISHY HUNTER
Baryonyx (“heavy claw”) gets its name from the large, curved
claw on the index finger, or possibly thumb, on each hand.
This rhinoceros-sized theropod roamed Europe’s rivers, lakes,
and swamps early in the Cretaceous Period. Standing at the
water’s edge, or perhaps wading in, Baryonyx might have
scooped out large fish with the sudden swipe of a claw.
Today, grizzly bears in Alaska catch salmon in a similar way.
Or maybe Baryonyx seized a fish in its narrow, crocodilelike
jaws, and then dug in both claws to prevent its escape.

Baryonyx

Large claw

Three-fingered
hand