Scientists from the University of Kalgary in Canada found the fossils of a completely preserved dinosaur’s paws with bipli claws. Rare fossil is noteworthy in that the shell of one of the claws remained untouched, which allowed scientists to evaluate its original size and shape. Fossils were found in the Gobi desert, which extends through Mongolia and China.
According to scientists, the dinosaur lived at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66-100.5 million years ago. The analysis showed that the find is a new type of teirizinosaurus – dinosaurs, who went on the hind limbs and usually had three claws on the paws.
differing from typical representatives of the group, the new species has only two claws. Scientists called it “Duonychus tsogtbaatari” and suggested that its mass was about 260 kg.
According to researchers, the long and curved claws of this dinosaur could have high flexibility, which helped him effectively capture vegetation and, possibly, use them to protect.
Researchers noted that bicaple dinosaurs are more often found among representatives of a group of tyrannosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex), however, “Duonychus tsogtbaatari” evolved independently of this line.
The results of the study were published in the journal IScience.