Deinonychus vs Pachycephalosaurus
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Deinonychus and Pachycephalosaurus, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.
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| Property | Deinonychus | Pachycephalosaurus |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Deinonychus antirrhopus | Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis |
| Classification | Dromaeosauridae | Pachycephalosauria |
| Period | Cretaceous Early | Cretaceous Late |
| Diet | Carnivore | Herbivore |
| Length | 3.4 m | 4.5 m |
| Height | 0.9 m | 1.8 m |
| Weight | 73 kg | 450 kg |
| Discovery Year | 1969 | 1943 |
| Discovery Location | Montana, USA | Montana, USA |
| Named By | John Ostrom | Barnum Brown & Erich Schlaikjer |
Size Comparison
about the size of a human adult
roughly the length of a large SUV
Weight Comparison
about 1 adult humans
about 6 adult humans
Timeline Comparison
Diet Comparison
Deinonychus
CarnivoreDeinonychus was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.
Pachycephalosaurus
HerbivorePachycephalosaurus was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Classification Comparison
Deinonychus
Pachycephalosaurus
Did You Know?
Pachycephalosaurus weighed roughly 6x more than Deinonychus.
Deinonychus was a carnivore while Pachycephalosaurus was a herbivore.
Deinonychus lived during the Cretaceous Early while Pachycephalosaurus lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 0 million years.
Pachycephalosaurus was discovered 26 years earlier, in 1943.
Deinonychus belonged to Dromaeosauridae while Pachycephalosaurus belonged to Pachycephalosauria.
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