Dinychidae

The family Dinychidae is a family of large predatory dinosaurs so far found in the western desert regions of Rathnir. The fossil material gathered from multiple localities are quite complete, and show predators specialized in hunting other large dinosaurs. Defining features of the Dinychidae are large, robust skulls with small boney “crowns”, hands with two prominent fingers and three vestigial fingers, and long robust legs ending in feet with three prominent toes and one dew claw.

The species Glaciesaurus polaris, like the name suggests, was found in slightly higher latitudes than would be expected from it’s kind. However analysis of the many plant fossils found alongside Dinychidae fossils show a semi-tropical floodplain environment, indicating that the climate of the Iridaceous period was either warmer, or that a previous climate de-lateralization occurred at the time. One of the largest members of this family, Manothronax dinychidus, even shows direct evidence of preying upon the herbivorous Paracryptosaurus deinonyi as their teeth were found embedded in sacral vertebrae of the P. deinonyi holotype.