What Is The Long Clawed Dinosaur in Jurassic World Dominion?

Warning: SPOILERS for Jurassic World Dominion.

A number of new dinosaurs were introduced in Jurassic World Dominion, and none are odder than the long-clawed, befeathered dinosaur that chases Claire. The end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom made the bold choice to free dinosaurs from their containment on Isla Nublar and unleash them upon the earth. In Jurassic World Dominion, humans are now contending with sharing a planet with its original rulers, and it's not exactly clear if humanity will survive.

Another new twist is all the new dinosaur species that are now loose in the world. New threats range from the potential T-Rex killer Giganotosaurus to the enormous flying pterosaur known as Quetzalcoatlus. And while the Jurassic franchise hasn't exactly been known for scientifically-accurate versions of dinos, Jurassic World Dominion has introduced feathered dinosaurs and at least tried to resolve some of the inaccuracy. One of those semi-feathered dinosaurs appears a few times in the movie.

Instead of being accurate, however, this particularly dinosaur looks like something that's completely made up, a cross between a bird and a lizard with Freddy Kreuger claws. Audiences can be forgiven for thinking it's another of the hybrid species that populate the franchise. The odd-looking dinosaur is known as a Therizinosaurus, and, as it turns out, it's not an imaginary kind of dinosaur at all.

Is The Therizinosaurus A Real Dinosaur?

Therizinosaurus hunting Claire Dane in Jurassic World Dominion

Despite its odd looks, the Therizinosaurus was indeed a real dinosaur that lived in the Late Cretaceous period and not just something made up for Jurassic World Dominion's stable of dinosaurs. The first remains of Therizinosaurus were discovered in the Gobi Desert in the late 1940s, with further pieces of Therizinosaurus skeletons being unearthed in the next few decades. Its distinctive, extra-long claws are its standout feature, and with its strange beaked face and odd looks, scientists originally thought it might be some sort of extinct sea turtle before later deciding it was its own genus.

Despite its size and fearsome physiology, however, the Therizinosaurus was an herbivore who rooted for foliage in the trees and bushes. Scientists have figured that the likeliest use of its elongated claws with the hooked ends was raking in the foliage and vegetation above. With its long neck and specialized claws, Therizinosaurus could either stand or sit to eat, as it could reach trees and large shrubs that other herbivores could not reach.

How Strong Is A Therizinosaurus Compared To A T-Rex?

The trailers for Jurassic World Dominion make it appear as though the Therizinosaurus is stalking Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) through the forest, but really, it's just foraging for food. Later, however, in the ending of Dominion, the Therizinosaurus teams up with the Tyrannosaurus rex, which is fighting the Giganotosaurus, and ends up stabbing the Giganotosaurus with its enormous claws. It's a shocking and satisfying ending, and surprising that it would be the Therizinosaurus and not the T-Rex, that finally killed the big bad of the movie. It begs the question of how the Therizinosaurus would match up against Tyrannosaurus in real life.

Unfortunately, while Therizinosaurus isn't made up, the reality that it could stab Jurassic World Dominion's Giganotosaurus to death almost certainly is. The Therizinosaurus was admittedly huge, with it estimated to have been about 30-35 feet in length and 13-16 feet in height, with a weight of three to five tons. Even at that size, however, the T-Rex still outmatches the Therizinosaurus at over 40 feet long and 9-15 tons. And while there's been quite a lot of debate over its exact size, it's clear the Giganotosaurus was larger than the Therizinosaurus, closer to the size of the Tyrannosaurus. Just in size and weight alone, the Therizinosaurus doesn't stack up to the T-Rex.

That said, its claws appear to give it a fearsome advantage over the T-Rex, that advantage being reach. In real life and in the universe of Jurassic World Dominion, T-Rex is known for its comically short arms, while the Therizinosaurus has those extra-long, wicked-looking claws at the end of long arms. As deadly as they look, however, it's still unlikely that the Therizinosaurus would be able to overpower the Tyrannosaurus. Scientists conducted multiple tests on the claws of Therizinosaurus and found them to be surprisingly fragile in a number of scenarios, and there's never been any evidence that they used their claws with the purpose of attack and defense, though some scientists do theorize they were used in a defensive manner to ward off attacks. This, at least, makes sense, as the Therizinosaurus was a slow runner and not a predator. If caught, it would have needed some sort of defense, or at the very least an intimidation technique. Its beak-like mouth was also quite sharp and would likely be able to land a few vicious bites on a T-Rex, along with its claws, should the two ever come to blows.

Ultimately, there's simply not enough information about either Jurassic World Dominion's Therizinosaurus or the T-Rex to know which one is stronger and who would win in a fight. But it's that sort of ambiguity that has given the Jurassic franchise so much room to take scientific liberties and led to scenes like a Therizinosaurus stabbing a vicious Giganotosaurus to death with its claws. If the effect of Jurassic World Dominion is to get people to imagine strange dinosaurs like the Therizinosaurus in weird and unconventional ways, it would be a solid legacy to leave.

Next: Jurassic World Dominion's Final Dinosaur Fight & Winner Explained

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