--The brain structure of Deinonychus and its role are just really quite remarkable.

 

Relatively speaking, Deinonychus has one of the largest brains in the dinosaur kingdom and it's used to achieve one goal.

 

--This was an animal that needed some brain power to know how to attack, when to attack, what parts of the prey animal to attack.

 

The part of the brain used for cunning is the cerebrum which is large in Deinonychus. It analyzes information from all over the body and unlike the unsophisticated brains of its prey, it makes decisions. Deinonychus can also do something no other predator  in its day could do – call in reinforcements.

 

--What we can see with Deinonychus in its brain structure is that potentially it has the capacity to pull off cooperative hunting.

 

Deinonychus is clever enough to deal with another highly developed creature – a second Deinonychus. Hunting together requires an ability to communicate as well as share tactics and strategy. This is something only made possible by a large brain. 

 

--This is an animal that might have actually had some cleverness to it, an animal that might have actually been able to solve problems. 

 

The ability to work cooperatively is to the ability to stay alive. Deinonychus has to keep one step ahead of its prey, anticipating trouble before it happens. But living as a hunter was not easy.