There’s still so much for paleontologists to learn about our extinct dinosaur friends. In fact, a brand-new dinosaur was recently discovered in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia! Fitting, since this is considered by many to be the largest dinosaur fossil reservoir in the world. Fascinating findings all about the dino were published in a journal called iScience. Needless to say, this discovery is huge for the paleontology world — and for anyone else who adores dinosaurs, of course!
Videos by InspireMore
These dinosaurs are called Duonychus (that means “two claws” in Greek). This once massive animal is believed to have stood at an impressive 10 feet tall and weighed around 570 pounds. It belonged to a group of dinos called Therizinosaurus. They were known for some odd traits, like claws to sheer leaves off trees, leaf-shaped teeth, and quill-like feathers.
@pbsnews Scientists have unearthed a new species of dinosaur in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Their findings have been published in the journal "iScience." The dinosaur, known as Duonychus, lived roughly 95 million years ago. It stood at 10-foot-tall, was 500-pounds and sported a pair of fearsome foot-long claws. Duonychus was actually not a predator, but rather used its long claws and long neck to reach for vegetation. #pbsnewshour #pbsnews #newshour #dinosaurs #science #dinosaur #gobidesert #mongolia #scientists #news ♬ original sound – pbsnews
Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, an associate professor at the Hokkaido University Museum, says that this group of dinosaurs were already the “weirdest” ones out there. But this newest one, Duonychus, “takes that weirdness and pushes it further. It’s like evolution said, ‘Let’s try something different,’ and just ran with it.”
New Dinosaur That Lived Around 95 Million Years Ago is Discovered in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia
An artist has created a rendering of this new dinosaur based on everything paleontologists know about them. The result? A massive, intimidating creature… that bears an odd resemblance to a chicken, in large part because of the feathers.
The Duonychus’ huge claws are a distinctive feature. While they’re certainly intimidating, they weren’t meat-eaters. Though, they definitely would have used their built-in weapons in self-defense or grappling.
This isn’t the only thrilling dinosaur news announced this year. In January, the American Museum of Natural History unveiled a dinosaur specimen unlike any we’ve discovered before.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
