Nothronychus mckinleyi

† Nothronychus mckinleyi is a Late Cretaceous therizinosaurid from the Zuni Basin of New Mexico. Roughly 4 m long, this herbivorous theropod used large raking claws to pull down vegetation in Cretaceous North American environments.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Nothronychus mckinleyi was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Cretaceous Late Mesozoic Era

Nothronychus mckinleyi 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.