In Michael Crichton's novel "Jurassic Park", John Hammond meets his demise at the claws of which dinosaur?

The story behind the answer

Procompsognathus (“compys”) is correct: in the novel, Hammond falls, breaks his ankle, and is overwhelmed by a swarm of these small scavengers, whose nipping, mildly venomous bites and pack behavior prove fatal. Crichton uses this scene to underline a key theme—hubris undone not by a monstrous T. rex, but by nature’s smallest, most underestimated predators.

Context tip: the film spares Hammond, so this book-only death is easy to mix up. Remember it as “Hammond humbled by the tiniest hunters.” Compys later get a showcase in The Lost World (film), reinforcing Crichton’s idea that danger in complex systems often comes from unexpected, low-profile sources rather than the obvious headline threats.