Proposed mitochondrial divergence times of living deinonychosaur lineages superimposed against the first appearance in the Cenozoic fossil record (denoted by a claw icon). Proposed relationships in this study were based purely on biochemical criteria. Perhaps the most famous of all carnivorous dinosaurs (with the possible contenders being the tyrannosauroids and sauropods) deinonychosaurs, those of the 'terrible claws', have been a common and successful tribe of carnivores since the early Cretaceous. Creatures like Deinonychus and Velociraptor hunted the ancient world, and most modern day deinonychosaurs have changed little since then.