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Deinonychosauria
 
 
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The Deinonychosauria ("fearsome claw lizards") were a successful clade
Clade

A clade is a term used in modern alpha taxonomy, the scientific classification of living and fossil organisms, to describe a monophyletic group, defined as a group consisting of a single common ancestor and all its descendants.The term "monophyletic group" is used in this article in the conventional sense of "an a...
 of theropods
Theropoda

Theropods are a group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs. Although they were primarily carnivorous, a number of theropod families evolved herbivore during the Cretaceous Period ....
 in the Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic

The Late Jurassic Epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time scale from 161.2 ? 4.0 to 145.5 ? 4.0 million years ago, which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum....
 and Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 Periods. These carnivores are known for their switchblade-like second toes. The clade has been divided into two further clades — Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae

Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small to medium-sized, feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period ....
 and Troodontidae
Troodontidae

Troodontidae is a Family of bird-like Theropoda dinosaurs. In previous decades, troodontid fossils were few and scrappy and they have therefore been allied, at various times, with nearly every major coelurosaurian lineage....
. Dromaeosauridae includes some of the most fearsome killers of the Cretaceous Period: Deinonychus
Deinonychus

Deinonychus was a genus of carnivore dromaeosauridae dinosaur. There is one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This 3.4 metre long dinosaur lived during the early Cretaceous Period ....
, Velociraptor
Velociraptor

Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid Theropoda dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 mya during the later part of the Cretaceous Period ....
, and Utahraptor
Utahraptor

Utahraptor is the largest known member of the theropod dinosaur family Dromaeosauridae, and dates from the upper Barremian faunal stage of the Early Cretaceous period ....
. The largest known of these was possibly Utahraptor, and Microraptor
Microraptor

Microraptor is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur. About two dozen well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovered from Liaoning, China....
 was among the smallest (40 cm
1 E-1 m

Image:Length one to ten scale.svg|110px|right|Click on the top for smaller lengths and on the bottom for larger lengthspoly 0 0 20 20 0 20 1 centimetre...
 or 16 in).

Troodontids date from the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 Period and were lighter and slimmer than the dromaeosaurids.






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The Deinonychosauria ("fearsome claw lizards") were a successful clade
Clade

A clade is a term used in modern alpha taxonomy, the scientific classification of living and fossil organisms, to describe a monophyletic group, defined as a group consisting of a single common ancestor and all its descendants.The term "monophyletic group" is used in this article in the conventional sense of "an a...
 of theropods
Theropoda

Theropods are a group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs. Although they were primarily carnivorous, a number of theropod families evolved herbivore during the Cretaceous Period ....
 in the Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic

The Late Jurassic Epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time scale from 161.2 ? 4.0 to 145.5 ? 4.0 million years ago, which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum....
 and Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 Periods. These carnivores are known for their switchblade-like second toes. The clade has been divided into two further clades — Dromaeosauridae
Dromaeosauridae

Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small to medium-sized, feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period ....
 and Troodontidae
Troodontidae

Troodontidae is a Family of bird-like Theropoda dinosaurs. In previous decades, troodontid fossils were few and scrappy and they have therefore been allied, at various times, with nearly every major coelurosaurian lineage....
. Dromaeosauridae includes some of the most fearsome killers of the Cretaceous Period: Deinonychus
Deinonychus

Deinonychus was a genus of carnivore dromaeosauridae dinosaur. There is one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This 3.4 metre long dinosaur lived during the early Cretaceous Period ....
, Velociraptor
Velociraptor

Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid Theropoda dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 mya during the later part of the Cretaceous Period ....
, and Utahraptor
Utahraptor

Utahraptor is the largest known member of the theropod dinosaur family Dromaeosauridae, and dates from the upper Barremian faunal stage of the Early Cretaceous period ....
. The largest known of these was possibly Utahraptor, and Microraptor
Microraptor

Microraptor is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur. About two dozen well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovered from Liaoning, China....
 was among the smallest (40 cm
1 E-1 m

Image:Length one to ten scale.svg|110px|right|Click on the top for smaller lengths and on the bottom for larger lengthspoly 0 0 20 20 0 20 1 centimetre...
 or 16 in).

Troodontids date from the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous

The Cretaceous , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide, is a geologic period from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period....
 Period and were lighter and slimmer than the dromaeosaurids. Some of these were Troodon
Troodon

Troodon is a genus of relatively small, bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period . Discovered in 1855, it was among the first dinosaurs found in North America....
 and Saurornithoides
Saurornithoides

Saurornithoides is a genus of troodontidae maniraptoran dinosaur, living during the Late Cretaceous Period . These creatures were Predations, which could run fast on their hind legs and had excellent sight and hearing....
.

By some definitions, Deinonychosauria and Dromaeosauridae are synonyms.

Some scientist believe that bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s are members of the Infraorder Deinonychosauria.

Classification

  • Clade
    Clade

    A clade is a term used in modern alpha taxonomy, the scientific classification of living and fossil organisms, to describe a monophyletic group, defined as a group consisting of a single common ancestor and all its descendants.The term "monophyletic group" is used in this article in the conventional sense of "an a...
     Maniraptora
    Maniraptora

    Maniraptora is a clade of coelurosaurian dinosaurs which includes the birds and the dinosaurs that were more closely related to them than to Ornithomimus velox....
    • Clade Paraves
      Paraves

      Paraves is a stem?based clade containing birds and other closely related dinosaurs. The paravians include the Avialae, such as Archaeopteryx, and the Deinonychosauria, which includes the dromaeosaurids and troodontids....
      /Eumaniraptora
      • Pedopenna
        Pedopenna

        Pedopenna is a genus of small, feathered, maniraptoran dinosaur from the Daohugou Beds in China. It is possibly older than Archaeopteryx, though the age of the Daohugou Beds where it was found is debated....
      • Infraorder Deinonychosauria
        • Family Troodontidae
          Troodontidae

          Troodontidae is a Family of bird-like Theropoda dinosaurs. In previous decades, troodontid fossils were few and scrappy and they have therefore been allied, at various times, with nearly every major coelurosaurian lineage....
        • Family Dromaeosauridae
          Dromaeosauridae

          Dromaeosauridae is a family of bird-like theropod dinosaurs. They were small to medium-sized, feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period ....