Deinonychus

* Evolution 2
* Database
* Evolution

* Evolution 2
* Evolution

***Deinonychus*** is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur in the *Jurassic World Evolution* series. A close relative of *Velociraptor*, and one of the best-known dromaeosaurid species, *Deinonychus* originated from Early Cretaceous North America.

In *Evolution*, *Deinonychus* are unlocked in the Campaign Mode on Isla Tacaño.

## History

*Deinonychus* was not planned to be featured in *Jurassic Park* on Isla Nublar, and no *Deinonychus* populations were reported by InGen on either Nublar or their Site B facility on Isla Sorna in 1996. As of 2018, it has been revealed that the *Deinonychus* was the victim of an unconfirmed form of cruelty.

## Characteristics

A close relative of *Velociraptor* and measuring up to three meters in length, *Deinonychus* is a genus of theropod portrayed with a rooster-like comb on its head, as well as another fleshy ridge along its tail. Its skull is shorter than that of *Velociraptor*, with large pronounced eye ridges. Its name means "*Terrible Claw*", a reference to the 8-inch long, retractable sickle claw on the second toe of its feet, which *Deinonychus* uses to defend itself from predators and attack its prey. It once hunted across North America around 110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period, and its discovery led to a dramatic change in how dinosaurs were perceived - that birds are descended from dinosaurs. Like *Velociraptor*, *Deinonychus* is a swift-moving predator as well as a pack hunter. Although *Velociraptor* had been discovered earlier, *Deinonychus* was the first raptor known from an almost complete skeleton. The base genome has a velvet and reddish-grey skin with a dark band along its body and around its eyes.

## Gameplay

### *Evolution*

#### Behaviour

Despite their similarities, *Deinonychus* and *Velociraptor* cannot coexist and will fight each other. In fact, the genus seems antagonistic toward one another and will hunt down the other. Who is the victor in the battle can vary, though unmodified the *Velociraptor* has slightly higher base stats and may have an advantage. However, *Deinonychus* can reap a higher benefit from some genome splices meaning a heavily modified *Deinonychus* will be exponentially more dangerous than the base creature.

Like *Velociraptor*, *Deinonychus* are social and will rapidly lose comfort and turn antagonistic if denied a pack. A bare minimum pack of 3 individuals per paddock can reduce rampages, though a pack of 4 to 6 is recommended. If given space and numbers, *Deinonychus* can be considered a more docile alternative to *Velociraptor*.

#### Skins

 NULL

 ALPINE

 JUNGLE

 RAINFOREST

 TAIGA

 VIVID

 Jungle: Isla Nublar Challenge Mode Any Difficulty Unlock

## Paleontology

The first *Deinonychu*s remains were discovered in southern Montana in 1931 by Barnum Brown, known colloquially as "Mr. Bones", while exploring the Cloverly Formation in Montana in search of *Tenontosaurus* remains. During the mid-1960s, over a thousand more *Deinonychus* bones were discovered near the location of the original find, allowing researchers to gain a much better understanding of *Deinonychus'* appearance and behavior. Further finds have occurred since from the Cloverly Formation of Montana and Wyoming, and in the Antlers Formation of Oklahoma.

In reality, like other dromaeosaurids, *Deinonychus* would have been covered in feathers safe for avian scales present on the feet and the end of the snout. Fossils of relatives such as *Microraptor* and analysis of quill knobs found on *Dakotaraptor*, *Utahraptor*, and *Velociraptor* indicate it would have had short feathers across most of its body with larger feathers forming a tail fan and small wings on its arms. This would have made *Deinonychus* resemble a flightless eagle in real life.

It is thought these wings and the tail fan would have assisted *Deinonychus* in maneuvering as airfoils, potentially gliding when it was young, as well as aid in visual displays and brooding its nests. Studies on the feet and hands of *Deinonychus* support the notion that the genus was a fairly good climber, especially when younger and lighter. In terms of build in real life, *Deinonychus* had a longer, pointer skull, and longer arms than what is seen in-game. *Deinonychus* has been found in both the Cedar Mountain and Cloverly Formations.

A relatively medium-sized dromaeosaurid, it was one of the earliest of its family yet had advanced adaptations like a stiffened tail to keep the dinosaur steady while running and stereoscopic vision so it could gauge distances. *Deinonychus* was somewhere in the middle of the food chain, targeting small- to medium-sized animals like *Tenontosaurus*, *Aquilops*, and *Zephryosaurus*, but avoiding large sauropods such as *Astrodon* and *Sauroposeidon* and armored dinosaurs like *Sauropelta*.

A series of bonebeds containing bones and teeth of *Deinonychus* alongside the remains of the ornithopod *Tenontosaurus* gave rise to the incredibly popular idea that dromaeosaurids like *Deinonychus* hunted large prey in packs, which powerfully informed the portrayal of *Velociraptor* behavior in the *Jurassic Park* franchise. This hypothesis isn't without its critics; a 2020 evaluation of juvenile Deinonychus diets showed that they ate different food items than adults, which was presented as evidence against the idea of a familiar mammalian pack structure where immature animals ate prey caught by their parents. However, a trackway of several individuals of an unknown Chinese dromaeosaur moving together shows that group behavior likely existed among this family to some degree.

### Paleoecology

*Deinonychus* lived in North America approximately 100-125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period and is known to have inhabited a floodplain or swamp-like ecosystems as Cloverly Formation and the Antlers Formation consisted of tropical or sub-tropical forests, deltas and lagoons. Other animals *Deinonychus* lived alongside with in its environment include herbivorous dinosaurs such as the huge armored *Sauropelta*, the ornithopods *Zephyrosaurus* and *Tenontosaurus*, and the large theropod *Acrocanthosaurus*, as well as the crocodilians *Goniopholis* and *Paluxysuchus*.

## Behind the Scenes

*Deinonychus* was revealed to be in *Evolution* on December 23, 2017, in an *IGN First* video.

## References

1. ↑ *What Killed the Gene Guard Act?*. (February 23, 2018). Dinosaur Protection Group. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
2. ↑ Dinosaur Protection Group. (2018). *Dinosaurs Are Mortal. Cruelty Is Timeless.* [Poster]. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
3. ↑ Johnson, Natalie. (May 06, 2020). *Jurrassic Park got it wrong: Research indicates raptors didn't hunt in packs*. Phys.org. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
4. ↑ IGN. (December 23, 2017). *Jurassic World Evolution: Up Close With the Dinosaurs - IGN First* [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2019.