The Dinosaur That Broke All the Rules (And Had the Claws to Prove It)

Fun fact: the longest claws of any land animal that has ever existed on this planet belonged to a dinosaur that ate plants.

One meter long. That’s over three feet. Each claw. And it used them to pull down branches.

That’s Therizinosaurus. 

This thing lived about 70 million years ago in what is now Mongolia — back when Mongolia wasn’t a desert but actually lush and green. It was massive, measuring 30 to 33 feet long and weighing over five tons. For reference, that’s heavier than most elephants and about the length of a school bus. It was late Cretaceous, so T. rex was its contemporary. Same era. Same world.

And it just… chose leaves.

Now, I do want to push back on something — you’ll hear people call it a “gentle giant,” and I think that’s kind of underselling it. Every dinosaur that has ever lived was capable of serious damage if it felt threatened. Therizinosaurus was almost certainly territorial. Those claws didn’t stop being dangerous just because they weren’t being used to hunt. Don’t get it twisted.

Here’s another thing worth knowing: we actually don’t have a ton of fossils for this one. Most of what we know comes from the claws, some arm bones, and leg pieces. So every reconstruction you’ve seen — including the one in Jurassic World Dominion — is a scientific best estimate. Scientists are basically working backwards from the most dramatic parts of the skeleton. Which is honestly a very cool job.

The Dominion version was blind, which they invented for the movie. But the scene where Claire hides underwater while it looms overhead? That actually worked because Therizinosaurus would have been highly perceptive and reactive to movement. So the movie got the vibe right, even if it took some creative liberties.

Bottom line: Therizinosaurus is proof that nature doesn’t have to follow your expectations. Sometimes the most intimidating animal in the room just wants to eat plants.

And that’s kind of a whole thing.