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Possibly
the most impressive feature of Suchomimus was its large
thumb claw. This claw was present on each thumb of Suchomimus'
forearms. It was likely used to help the dinosaur catch its
prey-large, 10+ feet long fish. But, not only was the claw
significant to the dinosaur's lifestyle, it also played a major role
in the discovery of Suchomimus. While exploring the Sahara Desert in
Niger with Sereno's team, Montana paleontologist Dave Varricchio
noticed some white flakes on the sand a few feet ahead of where he
was walking. He ran over to the spot and sitting on top of the sand,
separated from any rock formation or matrix, was a foot-long claw.
He immediately called over Sereno, and the team began to dig. The
claw was the first bone discovered of what turned out to be
Suchomimus.
Here
is a quote from a November 1998 San Francisco Chronicle article
about Suchomimus:
"Suchomimus'
thumbs were about 16 inches long and tipped with 12-inch claws
curved like a sickle. The two fingers on each hand had shorter,
curved claws."
"'The hand is amazing,' Sereno said. 'It was probably ideal for
fishing, for grabbing...into those large fish.'"
"It
is likely, Sereno said, that giant crocodiles and Suchomimus
competed for the same large fish, 'and I imagine the two squared
off.' But, ruling the enviroment, he said, was Suchomimus."
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