Deinonychus vs Sauropelta

A detailed side-by-side comparison of Deinonychus and Sauropelta, covering size, diet, classification, geologic period, and discovery history.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Свойство Deinonychus Sauropelta
Научное название Deinonychus antirrhopus Sauropelta edwardsorum
Классификация Dromaeosauridae Ankylosauria
Период Cretaceous Early Cretaceous Early
Питание Carnivore Herbivore
Длина 3.4 m 5.2 m
Height 0.9 m 1.5 m
Вес 73 kg 1.5 t
Год открытия 1969 1970
Место открытия Montana, USA Cloverly Formation, Montana, USA
Назван John Ostrom John Ostrom

Size Comparison

Deinonychus 3.4 m

about the size of a human adult

Sauropelta 5.2 m

roughly the length of a large SUV

Weight Comparison

Deinonychus 73 kg

about 1 adult humans

Sauropelta 1.5 t

comparable to 1.5 small cars

Timeline Comparison

Deinonychus
145,0 Mya Cretaceous Early (Mesozoic) 100,5 Mya
Sauropelta
145,0 Mya Cretaceous Early (Mesozoic) 100,5 Mya

Deinonychus and Sauropelta both lived during the Cretaceous Early period and may have shared the same habitats.

Diet Comparison

Deinonychus

Carnivore

Deinonychus was a meat-eating predator, hunting other animals for food.

Sauropelta

Herbivore

Sauropelta was a plant-eater, feeding on vegetation like ferns, conifers, and cycads.

Classification Comparison

Deinonychus

Clade: Theropoda

Group: Dromaeosauridae

(Raptors)

Sauropelta

Clade: Thyreophora

Group: Ankylosauria

(Fused lizards)

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.

Compare With Other Dinosaurs

Explore These Dinosaurs

Explore the Natural World

Discover more across the Nature FYI family