Rare Anzu Raptor Hand Claw - "Chicken From Hell"

This is an extremely rare, hand (killing) claw of the recently described giant raptor Anzu wyliei. Dubbed by media as the "chicken from hell" this dinosaur grew up to 11 feet in length and sported a large a prominent crest on it's head. The name Anzu refers to a feathered demon in ancient Mesopotamian mythology.

The preservation on this large (2.48" long) hand claw is as good as it gets. It's complete from the base to the tip and while it has a few hairline crack repairs it was not restored. Raptor hand claws are exceptionally hard to acquire not just because of their rarity but their demand among collectors. This fabulous claw comes Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. It was collected on private land and the identification was done by Walter Stein who the the excavator and head preparator on the Anzu raptor type specimen.

The creature's appearance – "big crests on their skulls, a beak, no teeth, and a very bird-like skeleton", and its discovery in the Hell Creek Formation led to it being jokingly nicknamed the "chicken from hell". Matthew Lamanna, who devised the species' name, originally wanted to use a Latin or Greek version of "chicken from hell". However, he found that the nickname did not work so well in those languages.