Meet the theropods—fierce or not?
Theropods (thair-a-pods) were a group of dinosaurs that moved on two legs. Most species were carnivorous.
Knifelike teeth were a key feature of the carnivorous theropods. A few theropods had no teeth and probably ate both animals and plants.
Theropods were one of the earliest groups of dinosaurs to evolve. Many different species of theropod continued to evolve over 150 million years and included the large predators such as Tyrannosuarus.
One group within theropods did not become extinct. It evolved into a group of animals alive today—the birds.
Deinonychus
die-non-eye-cus
Deinonychus antirrhopus
Cast from fossil discovered in USA
This dinosaur was an active predator, with keen eyesight and an acute sense of smell. Recent discoveries suggest it had feathers and was warm-blooded.
The name Deinonychus means 'terrible claw", referring to the large curved claw on its second toe. It may have hunted in packs to bring down larger dinosaurs.
Gallimimus
gal-ee-my-mus
Gallimimus bullatus
Cast from fossil discovered in Mongolia
This dinosaur's name means 'fowl mimic', and it probably ran like an emu. We can tell it was a fast runner from its long leg bones.
Tarbosaurus – a teenage terror
Tar-bo-sore-us
Tarbosaurus bataar
Cast from fossil discovered in Mongolia
Tarbosaurus belongs to the group of dinosaurs known as theropods. It lived in Asia at the same time that its close relative Tyrannosaurus lived in North America.
This Tarbosaurus was not fully grown when it died. Even so, its monstrous head, powerful jaws, strong neck and long piercing teeth provided it with excellent equipment for getting a meal.