Deinonychus vs Protoceratops
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Deinonychus and Protoceratops, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.
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| Property | Deinonychus | Protoceratops |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Deinonychus antirrhopus | Protoceratops andrewsi |
| Classification | Dromaeosauridae | Ceratopsia |
| Period | Cretaceous Early | Cretaceous Late |
| Diet | Carnivore | Herbivore |
| Length | 3.4 m | 1.8 m |
| Height | 0.9 m | 0.6 m |
| Weight | 73 kg | 83 kg |
| Discovery Year | 1969 | 1923 |
| Discovery Location | Montana, USA | Gobi Desert, Mongolia |
| Named By | John Ostrom | Walter Granger & W.K. Gregory |
Size Comparison
about the size of a human adult
about the size of a human adult
Weight Comparison
about 1 adult humans
about 1 adult humans
Timeline Comparison
Diet Comparison
Deinonychus
CarnivoreDeinonychus was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.
Protoceratops
HerbivoreProtoceratops was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Classification Comparison
Deinonychus
Protoceratops
Did You Know?
Deinonychus was about 1.9x longer than Protoceratops.
Deinonychus was a carnivore while Protoceratops was a herbivore.
Deinonychus lived during the Cretaceous Early while Protoceratops lived during the Cretaceous Late, separated by roughly 0 million years.
Protoceratops was discovered 46 years earlier, in 1923.
Deinonychus belonged to Dromaeosauridae while Protoceratops belonged to Ceratopsia.
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