Talos sampsoni

† Talos sampsoni is a Late Cretaceous troodontid from the Kaiparowits Formation of Utah, USA. An injured second pedal claw with healed bone damage provides the first direct evidence of the hyperextensible sickle claw being used in prey capture.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Talos sampsoni was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Late Mesozoic Era

Talos sampsoni lived during the Cretaceous Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 100.5 to 66.0 million years ago.

The final age of dinosaurs, featuring iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. Dinosaurs reached their peak diversity before the catastrophic asteroid impact at the Chicxulub crater ended the Mesozoic Era.