Deinonychus vs Sauropelta
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Deinonychus and Sauropelta, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.
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| Property | Deinonychus | Sauropelta |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Deinonychus antirrhopus | Sauropelta edwardsorum |
| Classification | Dromaeosauridae | Ankylosauria |
| Period | Cretaceous Early | Cretaceous Early |
| Diet | Carnivore | Herbivore |
| Length | 3.4 m | 5.2 m |
| Height | 0.9 m | 1.5 m |
| Weight | 73 kg | 1.5 t |
| Discovery Year | 1969 | 1970 |
| Discovery Location | Montana, USA | Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA |
| Named By | John Ostrom | John Ostrom |
Size Comparison
about the size of a human adult
roughly the length of a large SUV
Weight Comparison
about 1 adult humans
comparable to 1.5 small cars
Timeline Comparison
Deinonychus and Sauropelta both lived during the Cretaceous Early period and may have shared the same habitats.
Diet Comparison
Deinonychus
CarnivoreDeinonychus was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.
Sauropelta
HerbivoreSauropelta was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.
Classification Comparison
Deinonychus
Sauropelta
Did You Know?
Sauropelta was about 1.5x longer than Deinonychus.
Sauropelta weighed roughly 21x more than Deinonychus.
Deinonychus was a carnivore while Sauropelta was a herbivore.
Both dinosaurs lived during the Cretaceous Early period and may have coexisted.
Deinonychus was discovered 1 years earlier, in 1969.
Deinonychus belonged to Dromaeosauridae while Sauropelta belonged to Ankylosauria.
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