The ENORMOUS Claws of Saurophaganax

#dinosaurs #prehistoricplanet #cryptozoology What do we think Saurophaganax was using it’s enormous claws for?
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[@teosworld5001]

Keep the saurophaganax content coming!! I’m a big allosaurus fan so I am always excited to learn more about this behemoth

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@teosworld5001 Will do I appreciate it. Any thoughts on what Saurophaganax might have been using those big claws for? Mike

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

What do we think Saurophaganax was using it’s ENORMOUS set of claws for? -Mike

[@daniellemurphy9755]

Nose picking 🐽

[@tamaltarudey8912]

Good Tools for Restraining Prey as it didn't really have a strong crushing bite like the Tyrannosaurids but instead had a weaker slashing bite which was really still quite strong and comparable to other large Allosauroids. Also useful tools for intraspecific combat(similar to how Komodo Dragons fought with each other, hugging and slashing with their claws)over mating rights and territory and for digging up the ground for nest making. Last but not the least is the claws were probably useful for breaking up carcasses for easier scavenging.

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@tamaltarudey8912 Some very good points you make. Mike

[@tamaltarudey8912]

Saurophaganax maximus probably utilised a choking bite on its prey's neck and utilised its claws for restraining the struggling prey. Since it's considered to be an Allosaurid and a relative of Allosaurus fragilis it's skull was likely filled with moderately proportioned teeth.

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@tamaltarudey8912 Great comment I love it. Mike

[@walterfechter8080]

To my mind, a huge, recurved claw; like the thumb claw of Saurophaganax; would be used for grasping as well as disemboweling its prey. Furthermore, those longer arms along with those huge claws might have been used to defend itself from others of its kind. Thanks, Prehistoric Magazine.

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@walterfechter8080 appreciate your insight. Mike

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@walterfechter8080 appreciate your comment. Mike

[@011keepers]

My issue is that the arms were still short, a look at mammals that graps seem to show longer arms, apes, squirrels, even eagles legs are seeming longer in proportion. These arms wouldn't even be seen because they were under and back and I have seen a lot to indicate the arms were limited in range of motion. Unless this animal just jumped on the prey and hung on, I am curious as to the function

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@011keepers All good points. Thx for chiming in. Mike

[@bernardedwards8461]

Raptors have horny sheaths on the boney part of their talons, and this must have been the same with saurophaganax. These sheaths are sharper than the bone and always black in colour. Does what we see in the fossil include the horny sheaths or have they been lost? The other thing we see in modern raptors is an opposable hind claw, which can give a deadly grip on its prey, but that of course is with the hind limbs,they dont have any useable claws on the fore-limbs or wings as we call them. Does Saurophaganax grip with any of its limbs or does it only deliver slashing blows, rather like a cat? Whichever it was there is no doubt that these enormous talons were offensive weapons. The Harpy eagle has gigantic claws and kills with its feet.

[@KaijuBiologist]

My opinion is that getting that close to the tail would be a bad idea. I think more of a hit and run type attack would be more effective. A pack could eventually nickel and dime its prey to death with wounds until it collapsed and they could finish it off. Just a thought.

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@KaijuBiologist love you insight. Thx for the comment. Mike

[@andrewshear2927]

This is an interesting notion but just like our raptorial birds use their claws to pin down prey that might be what this animal was doing with its hands.

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@andrewshear2927 great point. Mike

[@joemanco-no4jy]

Look at how sculptured those finger bones are. It is almost as if they were designed on a computer on some weight vs. strength program. The feet were the same way on these meat eaters but these hands are even more extreme. Whatever it was doing involved great activity and force. Compare this to the almost crippled hands of T-Rex.

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@joemanco-no4jy Love your comment. Mike

[@011keepers]

Lions also rarely attack an elephant, so I'd say that isn't a good example because it's extreme situation. It seems that if this animal jumped on the backs you'd find breaks in the spine or bite marks along the necks as the animal rode on the back

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@011keepers I’m really envisioning it gripping the sides for a brief second. I think these would be rare scenarios though. Maybe tough times like a drought or something. Mike

[@markjennings7258]

It would be helpful to know what the rest of the Skeleton looked like how much of it is known,I believe the claws were designed for holding prey while the Jaws got to work.

[@parkerpshebnisky1051]

Those claws were so huge!

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@parkerpshebnisky1051 They really were huge. Mike

[@v.i.p.vlogsstr3884]

saurophanagx would : Rap.,Grip and slice through the thick hide Because it Basically the indominus of the late jurassic aslo the saurophanagx have medium size head thus it front limps more like acrocanthosaurus . Although would not hunt adult sauropods . In addition meraxes is: length : 11.36 metres skull :1. 27 metres mass : 6.7 tones like the size of acrothcansaurus length : 11.54 meters skull :1.29 meters mass : 6.8 tones

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@v.i.p.vlogsstr3884 appreciate your comment. Mike

[@rodrigoestebanquierofiguer9658]

9 tons

[@rodrigoestebanquierofiguer9658]

not 11 meter error , saurophanagx 13 meter gaint yes , 9 tonedas

[@eliletts8149]

I have been thinking what happened to this channel lately since I had not seen anything from this channel in a while, but see you are back! By the way, what are your thoughts as to how long non-avian dinosaurs might have survived after the meteor impact that started the K-Pg extinction event ?

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@eliletts8149 great question would have to look into that. I have been making content for a while I bought this channel from a woman back in 2019 and now I’m trying to get the viewers back. It’s been a difficult task. Mike

[@eliletts8149]

@@PrehistoricMagazine oh! I didn't know that you bought the channel! On the topic of how long the non-avian dinosaurs survived after the meteor impact, I saw a video about the subject that got me thinking about it a bit more, hahaha!

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@eliletts8149 appreciate you reaching out. And thx for the support with the channel. Mike

[@eliletts8149]

@@PrehistoricMagazine you are very welcome!

[@Ema4700-l6o]

It's a very fascinating topic, thinking how these animals could have interacted with one another, how theyr ecosystem could have worked and the saurophaganax hunting a big sauropod scenario, reminds me the mapusaurus hunting the argentinosaurus scene, from Dinosaur Planet more and more than ever! where the mapusaurus grips on the argentinosaurus flank, but saurophaganax would have had a stronger grip for sure with it's massive claws which btw, i didnt know how big they actually were! I knew he had big claws like the other allosauroids but wow that claw is HUGE compared to the rest of it's bone, imagine how many muscles were attached to that thing and how strong those arms actually were!

[@PrehistoricMagazine]

@@Ema4700-l6o great insight. Mike