Name:
Nothronychus (Greek for "sloth claw"); pronounced no-throw-NIKE-us
Habitat:
Southern North America
Historical Period:
Middle-Late Cretaceous (90 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 15 feet long and 1 ton
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long arms with long, curved claws; possibly feathers
About Nothronychus:
Showing that surprises can lay in store for even the most experienced dinosaur hunters, the first fossil of Nothronychus was found in 2001 in the Zuni Basin on the New Mexico/Arizona border. What made this discovery especially significant is that Nothronychus is the first dinosaur of its kind (therizinosaurs) to be dug up outside Asia, which has prompted some new thinking on the part of paleontologists.
Like other therizinosaurs, experts speculate that Nothronychus used its long, curved claws much like a sloth, to climb trees and gather vegetation. However, other facts about this obscure creature--such as whether it sported primitive feathers--will have to await future fossil discoveries.
