How It Works-Book Of Dinosaurs

Deadliness doesn’t always come down to bulk

and bite force. Troodon (“TROH-oh-don”) –

standing just 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) tall and

weighing in at 40 kilograms (88 pounds) – was a

wily whippet that made up for its lack of brawn

with a whole lot of brain. In fact, it had the

highest brain-to-body-weight ratio of any

known dinosaur. Not only that; reconstructions

of its brain have revealed nascent signs of

folding – where more neural cells are packed

into the same area for more effi cient brain

functioning – making it the most neurologically

advanced specimen too.

The shape of fossilised skull remains suggest it

possessed huge orb-like eyes that gave it superior

vision – as well as the abilit y to see in low-lighting

conditions and hunt nocturnally – and its slight

frame made it extremely fl eet of foot. While they

may have been dwarfed by many of the

behemoths on this list, a pack of alert and agile

Troodons hunting as a pack could easily have

brought down much bigger animals.

Troodon

Height: 1.3m (4.3ft)

Length: 2m (6.6ft)

Eyes

Large and forward

facing, giving it excellent

stereoscopic vision and

perhaps even the ability

to see at night

Fingers

A semi-opposable

fi nger on each

hand meant it had

the dexterity to

grab and snare

small mammals

and reptiles

Lightweight

body structure

Slender and with a

rod-like tail, Troodon

was swift and nimble

on its feet

Feathers?

Experts speculate

that cool-climate-

dwelling Troodon

may have sported

feathers for

insulation

Claw

A retractable sickle-shaped claw

on each foot was used for slashing

and kicking at captured prey

Height: 1m (3.3ft)

Length: 1.8m (5.9ft)

Star of the infamous kitchen scene in Jurassic

Park, the curious creature with the deadly

cur ved toe claw has been terrorising nightmares

for two decades. The fi lm may have overstated

their size and stripped them of their feathers,

but it did get some things right: Velociraptors

(“vel-OSS-e-RAP-tors”) were fast and polished

predators that oozed agilit y and intelligence,

and may have hunted in packs.

A close cousin and look-alike of Giganotosarus,

Mapusaurus (“MAH-puh-SORE-uss”) hunted

some of the largest dinosaurs that ever lived –

the 35-metre (115-foot)-long herbivore

A rgentinosaurus. Its narrow blade-like teeth

were ideal slicing tools, and the discover y of

bones from several indiv iduals found in one

place has experts speculating that they formed

groups or hunted in packs for extra lethalit y.

Velociraptor

Mapusaurus

Height: 3.6m (11.8ft)

Length: 13m (42.7ft)

DINOSAURS

Deadliest dinosaurs

Killer stats

This diminutive dinosaur used cunning and

cooperation to slay supposedly superior beasts in

the wilds of North America during the Late

Cretaceous Era, 74-65 million years ago.

Troodon

Size: 3/10

Arsenal & Adaptations: 8/10

Intellect: 10/10

Killer Rating: 8/10

Brain

Record brain-to-body-

weight ratio suggests it

was the quickest-thinking

and most intelligent of all

known dinosaurs