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ULTRA RARE DEINONYCHUS PRIMARY KILLING CLAW Cloverly Formation - Montana, U.S.A. EARLY CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 112 million years ago Certainly, this offering will be remembered as one of the rarest and most impressive dinosaur claws we will (or could possibly ever) offer. It is the PRIMARY KILLING CLAW of Deinonychus antirrhopus from Montana, U.S.A.. The immortalization of "raptor" dinosaurs was made famous with the first Jurassic Park movie. In the movie, these highly dangerous creatures were NOT based on Velociraptors as the movie claimed, but were actually modeled after Deinonychids which were a much larger "raptor" or dromaeosaur. The beliefs about them hunting in packs and being highly intelligent predators were largely theorized from fossil evidence of Deinonychus. With the majority of dromaeosaurs (including Velociraptors) standing only as tall as a small dog, Deinonychus stood as tall as a 6 foot man. From head to tail, they measured 10-13 feet in length and weighed approximately 150 lbs. Its large lightly constructed head was equipped with backward curving, meat-shearing teeth and large openings for eyes and jaw muscles. Deinonychus had unusually long arms and three-fingered hands with robust claws well-suited for grasping and holding its prey while it kicked and disemboweled with its large killing claws on each foot. Fossil remains of Deinonychus are very rare and with this offering, this is the first time we are aware of ANY fossil being made available for sale from this famous killer. Even more impressive is the nature of this specimen. The name Deinonychus antirrhopus means "TERRIBLE CLAW". The most famous anatomical feature of this meat-eater is its large killing claw, hence the name. The opportunity to purchase a genuine fossil killing claw from the very dinosaur it is named for is quite an event, indeed. Prepared entirely in our own lab, we can accurately attest to all work performed on this extremely rare, investment-grade specimen. Approximately .50 inch of the tip has been restored as well as the proximal end. This comprises approximately an average range in length of restoration at .80" to 1.2" on the back end. The majority of the claw was found in remarkable preservation and the missing tip was most definitely caused when the creature was alive as most raptor killing claws are found this way. The body of the claw was complete and solid with stunning preservation and surface detail. The immense rarity of this specimen beckoned for the work we performed as never before have we heard of such a claw being offered to the public market. We performed ALL the work to this specimen ourselves so we can accurately and honestly disclose the nature and extent of the repair and restoration. This is a very important "PLUS" in the fossil business as almost all fossils have some repair and/or restoration yet the work is NOT performed by the dealers selling them. Purchasing specimens FROM THE ACTUAL PERSON OR PERSONS DOING THE PREPARATION WORK is VITAL for you to know what you are getting. Buying rare fossils from a seller that purchases from a broker and simply echoes what they were told is the best way to get a mystery fossil with no recourse to determine as to what kind of work has been done. This kind of flippant and rampant misrepresentation in the fossil market is one of the key arguments the science community uses to discourage buying fossils! To be sure that what you are buying is accurately and honestly represented, only deal with a highly experienced professional who has first-hand knowledge AND experience with regard to fossil preparation, repair and restoration as well as SPECIFIC knowledge of the fossils they are selling and WHAT EXACTLY WAS DONE TO THEM in the preparation and restoration process. A dromaeosaur 'raptor' killing claw is the most sought-after fossil amongst all dinosaur fossil collectors. Fossil claws of high quality preservation and size coming from the famous dinosaur deposits in the United States are usually the most rare and the most valuable. Large fine grade carnivorous dinosaur claws from the U.S.A. are definitely high yield investments as well as show-stopping specimens. For its astonishing array of dangerous and large prehistoric predator fossils, no place has captured more attention or has been featured on television more than the dinosaur fossil deposits in North America! Dromaeosaur 'raptor' killing claws command the highest fossil prices of most dinosaur claws and are amongst the most requested dinosaur fossils. Since most dromaeosaur "raptors" were rather small, a raptor killing claw averages about the size of a man's pinky finger. This Deinonychus killing claw dwarfs all others, by far. The most famous and amongst the largest of the dromaeosaur 'raptor' family is DEINONYCHUS. This Deinonychus PRIMARY KILLING CLAW is such a remarkable specimen that it would be an asset to a fossil casting company offering reproduction specimens of the finest fossils. Definitely a 'once-in-a-lifetime' offering WARNING: We are seeing more and more claws coming out of Morocco that have been expertly reconstructed and restored IN Morocco. The workmanship is equal to U.S. skill levels and this is being done to fully exploit gaining the highest possible price at the source by the brokers of the diggers who find the claws and fossils. These expertly repaired and restored claws can fool all but the most trained eye and anyone that does not actually have extensive experience in fossil restoration, repair and preparation will likely not be able to tell the difference. These claws are being sold at shows and on the internet as having "NO REPAIR and/or NO RESTORATION" which is simply untrue but the ignorance of the seller is just repeating what the Moroccan dealer told him without their own ability to discern if any work was truly performed on the claw. EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE CLAWS HAVE BEEN COMING IN QUANTITY RECENTLY FROM MOROCCO. DESPITE THEIR HEFTY PRICE TAGS, SEVERAL WE HAVE EXAMINED WERE TOTAL FAKES! We have also heard this from one highly experienced fossil restoration expert who has been sent claws from unsuspecting buyers hoping to have their purchase improved with further preparation. After years of very few quality large claws being found and offered from the Sahara, suddenly monstrous "raptor claws" are emerging from dealers in Moroccan fossils as of recent times. That should be a red-flag alone. The workmanship of these claws is higher than seen in the past so be HIGHLY SUSPECT when purchasing such specimens. To have one of these large Moroccan claws examined in person by a third party of YOUR CHOOSING is your only insurance. This migration of highly skilled restoration work being done now at the source country of fossils is actually becoming more the norm with many varieties of fossils on the market. It is IMPERATIVE to ONLY deal with a very knowledgeable dealer who has considerable and first-hand personal experience with all facets of fossil fabrication, restoration and repair in order to avoid becoming a victim of the ignorance and fraud that unfortunately plagues this business.
The raptors specifically in the movie Jurassic Park were called Velociraptors but were shown much larger than real Velociraptors. The Jurassic Park raptors were actually modeled after Deinonychus. Deinonychus was likely to be one of the most dangerous creatures that ever lived on our planet.
Recent discoveries in China have shown feathered species existed. This has revolutionized paleontologists' view of what not only these creatures could have looked like when alive, but of possible plumage on other therapod dinosaurs. Dromaeosaurs share other characteristics with birds and theories now place these vicious predators as being the earliest ancestors of birds. Dromaeosaurs first evolved in the Early Cretaceous and survived right up to the end of the Late Cretaceous suggesting they were adaptable and capable hunters, surviving such a prolonged period yet, remaining virtually unchanged in overall design. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY RARE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE AN INVESTMENT-GRADE, HUGE KILLING CLAW. EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PLACED ON THE FACT THAT ANY FOSSIL REMAINS FROM THIS PREDATOR ARE SCIENTIFICALLY RARE AND ABSENT FROM THE PUBLIC MARKET. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE EVER KNOWN ABOUT ANY REMAINS BEING OFFERED FOR SALE NOT TO MENTION THE VERY PART OF ANATOMY THAT THIS CREATURE IS FAMOUS FOR - ITS "TERRIBLE CLAW". REMAINS OF LESS THAN 10 DEINONYCHUS INDIVIDUALS ARE KNOWN TO SCIENCE THIS IS ONE OF THE RAREST FOSSIL CLAWS YOU WILL EVER SEE FOR SALE, ANYWHERE! 5.5" long on the dorsal curve SOLD DC6-007 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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KILLING CLAW SHOWN ABOVE ON THE #2 DIGIT OF THE FOOT |
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The
dromaeosaurs are popularly known in the movie "Jurassic
Park", as "raptors", a group of fascinating extinct
creatures. Most raptors were about the size of a small dog.
Some stood as tall as a man like Deinonychus. Dromaeosaurs are therapods that possessed specialized
features: a well-developed slashing talon on their second toe, a stiffened
tail, and large grasping hands.
The
"killing claw" of raptors was a terrifying and incredibly
efficient weapon. As they moved, it was held off the ground.
When the muscles of the toe were contracted, the claw swept down
quickly, providing for a powerful slash that may have been able to
disembowel prey swiftly. The stiffened tail would have been good
to stabilize the body while the grasping arms and jaws held onto the
prey for balance. Although there is no conclusive evidence for
this, it has been suggested that raptors could have performed leaps onto
large prey and used all four limbs to rip wounds in them. 
Raptors
were ferocious predators that some scientists believe hunted in packs
and attacked much larger dinosaurs by slashing their underbellies.
It is also believed that they were similar to lions in predatory
behavior, preferring ambushes and quick chases using their high
maneuverability along with strategic pack-hunting tactics. A human
could be torn to shreds by a pack of raptors in less than 30
seconds. 
