Alxasaurus sp. claw

Claw of an Alxasaurus, a dinosaur from the Therizinosaur clade. The claw is large, with a noticeable curve and a deep groove along its entire length, which housed the nerves and blood vessels that nourished the soft tissues. There is a kink at the point of attachment to the phalanx of the finger and one can see that the claw is hollow inside. The presence of cavities in the bones is a characteristic feature of dinosaurs, which made it possible to save in weight while maintaining the strength of the skeleton. During the life of the dinosaur, the claw was covered with a horn sheath, like the birds’ one, and its size was somewhat larger.

The claw is similar to the claws of theropods, but its owner was an Alxasaurus, a member of the Therizinosaur clade, with a very strange appearance. A massive body with a short tail, long neck, small head, and huge front paws with claws. The claws of large therizinosaurs reached a meter in length! Alxasaurus is one of the oldest dinosaur of this group and it had not yet possessed such claws. In addition, the size was smaller, about 4 meters in length.