Therizinosaurus was discovered in Mongolia in the 1940s, and at first all anyone had were the claws. Just the claws. Three feet long, gently curved, terrifying. Paleontologists genuinely thought they had a giant turtle-like sea reptile until enough other bones turned up to clear things up.
The real animal was about 30 feet long, walked on two legs, had a small head on a long neck, and - most surprising - mostly ate plants. Those scythe-like claws probably weren’t for ripping into prey. The leading theory is that Therizinosaurus used them to pull down branches and strip off leaves like a giant gardener.
They may have also helped scare off predators. Even the toughest meat-eater would think twice about attacking something with three-foot blades on each hand.
