US EditionNewly Discovered Dinosaur Duonychus tsogtbaatari Reveals Rare Two-Fingered Adaptation
- Paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of a previously unknown, medium-sized therizinosaur species, named Duonychus tsogtbaatari in honor of Mongolian paleontologist Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar, in Mongolia's Gobi Desert several years ago.
- This find is significant because Duonychus tsogtbaatari, part of the theropod family that includes Tyrannosaurus rex, possessed unique two-fingered hands, setting it apart from other therizinosaurs that typically have three claws, and lived during the Late Cretaceous period between 100.5 to 66 million years ago.
- The discovery included fossilized parts of the backbone, tail, hips, arms, and legs, revealing that Duonychus stood about 10 feet tall and weighed approximately 573 pounds , and it is the largest claw of its kind found fully preserved.
- According to Zelenitsky, the dinosaur's hands were "awkward looking", "big and very sharp", and the best comparison for the distinctive digits among living animals would be the claws of a sloth, with Steve Brusatte noting that therizinosaurs have a reputation as "Edward Scissorhands dinosaurs."
- Researchers suggest Duonychus tsogtbaatari, with its nearly one-foot-long claws covered in a keratin sheath similar to fingernails, likely used its unique two-fingered hands to grasp vegetation, potentially for display, defense, or other purposes, enhancing our understanding of dinosaur evolution and behavior.
94 Articles
94 Articles
'Exquisitely preserved' gigantic claws from Mongolia reveal strange adaptation in dinosaurs
A new species of dinosaur with strange claws has been unearthed in Mongolia by paleontologists. This new genus and species is a therizinosaur, plant-eating, two-legged giants with long claws, and was discovered buried in the Gobi Desert, according to a new study published Tuesday (March 25) in the journal iScience. Unlike other therizinosaurs, which have three fingers on their hands equipped with long, sharp claws, this new species only has two …
They find giant claws in the Gobi desert of a species never before seen
In the Gobi desert, southeastern Mongolia, they have found gigantic claws corresponding to an unknown species of feathered biped dinosaur.Thanks to the extraordinary state of conservation of the localized fossil specimen, researchers have been able to find out what these claws would have been like millions of years ago.A team from Hokkaido University (Japan) led by paleontologist Yoshitsugu Kobayashi has published in a recent study details about…
Ginormous Claws Found in The Gobi Desert Belong to a Never-Before-Seen Species
A newly discovered species of feathered, bipedal dinosaur with "exceptionally preserved and atypical hands" had just two fingers, each one tipped with a gigantic, claw-like talon. A remarkable fossil specimen found in southeastern Mongolia gave researchers a clear idea of what the claws would have looked like in real life, with their keratin sheath still clearly visible, extending the bones into wicked talons.In their published study, a team…
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