Latest news with #Duonychustsogtbaatari
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Two-fingered dinosaur discovered in Mongolia with help of N.M. researcher
What has two fingers per hand and just got discovered by an international research team in Mongolia? This guy: Duonychus tsogtbaatari. A new species of therizinosaurus has been discovered in Mongolia. Paleontologist Anthony Fiorillo, the executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, was part of the research team. The specimen was discovered at a construction site in a small village near the Chinese border. Spine segments, a humerus and most significantly, two arms, were uncovered. 'This discovery shows us how much more there is to be discovered, that there is so much more biodiversity out there to be found in the fossil record,' Fiorillo said. 'I can't wait for the next person to find the next cool thing.' It was the two preserved arms that indicated the specimen was the member of an undiscovered species of therizinosaurus. Each arm has two fingers. 'On both arms, instead of the more typical three fingers, this one has two fingers,' Fiorillo said. 'That in itself is very unique within this group of dinosaurs called therizinosaurus.' Duonychus tsogtbaatari is believed to have lived 90 million years ago, weighing in at almost 600 pounds and standing several meters tall. Therazinosaurus in general had an 'ungainly' body plan, Fiorillo said. 'They have long, longish necks, longish tails, a potbelly, and then these wickedly developed claws,' Fiorillo said. 'Many therizinosaurs had very long, somewhat straight claws.' Those lethal claws were fictionalized in Jurassic World: Dominion, when a toothy rival is shish-kebabed on a therizinosaur's three-fingered hands. The specimen discovered in Mongolia, however, has sharply curved, sloth-like claws. When Duonychus tsogtbaatari lived, in what is now the Gobi Desert, it would have looked significantly different. Although there are gaps in the fossil plant record in the Gobi, it was likely a warmer and more humid climate. The authors of the paper posit the scythe-like claws were used to hook and bring vegetation to the dinosaur's mouth. Duonychus tsogtbaatari largely ate plants. The two-fingered arm raises questions as well. Several strains of theropods, a group of bipedal dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus rex, independently evolved to have fewer fingers on each arm. Why? That remains to be seen, Fiorillo said. 'Beyond a broad statement that there's something driving evolution for, if you will, an increased efficiency of digit reduction, what you really like about a study is when it raises additional questions,' Fiorillo said. 'That is certainly one of the questions: Why is this going on, and why is it happening across multiple groups? And we don't have a real good answer for that yet.' The lead author, Hokkaido University paleontologist Yoshitsugi Kobayashi, an expert in Mongolian dinosaurs, was a student of Fiorillo's. Another author on the paper, Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig with the University of North Carolina and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, was Kobayashi's student. Duonychus tsogtbaatari is named after his father. But that's not the only link between the Land of Enchantment and the new species. Fragmented fossils of therizinosaurs have been found in the Zuni Basin near the New Mexico/Arizona border. 'It's reasonable to suspect there may be more than one kind found here,' Fiorillo said. 'The great thing about paleontology is you realize how the world is connected.'
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Bizarre ‘exquisitely preserved' two-clawed dinosaur found in China
A new dinosaur species has been discovered in Mongolia's Gobi Desert based on two 'exquisitely preserved' long fossil claws, an advance that sheds more light on a less understood family of the giant reptiles. The species, named Duonychus tsogtbaatari, belongs to a group of two-legged dinosaurs called therizinosaurs that lived in central and eastern Asia as well as in western North America during the Cretaceous period around 90 million years ago, researchers say. This family of dinosaurs are known for their long necks, small leaf-shaped teeth, and large hooked claws on their hands. They mostly had three-fingered hands with large claw-like toe bones. Despite their fearsome appearance, scientists say these dinosaurs were largely herbivorous or omnivorous. However, the newly discovered Duonychus had two clawed fingers instead of the typical three, according to the latest study published in the journal iScience. Its hand orientation was more similar to that of the mighty T rex than its close relatives, researchers say. "The hands, a hallmark of therizinosaurs, are exquisitely preserved with all the finger and wrist bones intact in this specimen," paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky from the University of Calgary told Live Science. During recent excavations, scientists uncovered the dinosaur's hand and well-preserved claw sheaths made out of the protein keratin, which makes up animal feathers, hair, and hooves. 'Here, we describe a new and unusual species of the therizinosaurid Duonychus tsogtbaatari, recovered from the lower Upper Cretaceous Bayanshiree Formation of the Gobi Desert of Mongolia,' scientists wrote. 'This species is different from other therizinosaurs in that the hand possesses only two fingers, rather than three fingers,' they noted. Duonychus used its claws in ways similar to other therizinosaurs for grappling and grasping vegetation, according to scientists, including those from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Despite looking fearsome with a 90-degree curve, the claws were adaptations that helped the dinosaur grip and pull branches with a hooking motion similar to claw-use by modern-day chameleons and anteaters, researchers say. 'The strong curvature of this large claw and high ungual flexion indicate that Duonychus was likely amplectorial (grasping) and an effective grasper of vegetation, despite having only two functional fingers,' scientists wrote. 'Despite having only two functional digits, Duonychus was likely an effective grasper, considering the extreme flexion (near 90°) at the ungual joint and the strong curvature of the keratinous claw,' they said. The latest find sheds more insights into the loss of digits in the evolution of some dinosaur groups documented in previous studies. It further shows that digit loss evolved independently in several two-legged dinosaur lineages. The discovery also suggests China's Gobi Desert could be home to more diverse dinosaur fossils. This kind of independent evolution of the same trait in multiple lineages highlights the adaptability of these groups of dinosaurs to diverse ecological niches, researchers concluded.
Washington Post
26-03-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
New dinosaur species with foot-long claws discovered in Mongolia
A new species of dinosaur uncovered in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia had two gigantic claws on each arm, according to findings published Tuesday in the journal iScience. The fossils of Duonychus tsogtbaatari studied by scientists included an 'exceptionally preserved' and strongly curved claw, one that probably made the species adept at grasping vegetation, the study authors wrote.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Exquisitely preserved' ginormous claws from Mongolia reveal strange evolution in dinosaurs
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. 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 fingers. This unique anatomy inspired its scientific name, named Duonychus tsogtbaatari, which is Greek for "two digits" and honors the Mongolian paleontologist Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar. "Many species of therizinosaurs have been discovered, and this group had pretty much been defined by their three-fingered hands sporting large claws," study co-author Darla Zelenitsky, a paleontologist at the University of Calgary in Canada, told Live Science in an email. "To find a specimen with only two fingers/claws was surprising as this was so out of the ordinary for this group of dinosaurs." Related: 166 million-year-old fossil found on Isle of Skye belongs to pony-size dinosaur from Jurassic Therizinosaurs are a group of dinosaurs that lived across what is now Asia and North America during the Late Cretaceous Period (100 million to 66 million years ago). Despite being part of the theropod group of dinosaurs — typically associated with carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex — therizinosaurs were herbivorous. These dinosaurs are known for their enormous, sickle-shaped claws, with some species growing talons as long as 20 inches (50 centimeters). All other therizinosaurs that have previously been discovered, including Therizinosaurus and Beipiaosaurus, have three clawed fingers on their hands, making the discovery of two-clawed D. tsogtbaatari unusual. "Therizinosaurs are already some of the most unusual dinosaurs out there, but Duonychus tsogtbaatari takes it to another level," study lead author Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, a paleontologist at Hokkaido University in Japan, told Live Science in an email. "This newly discovered species from Mongolia breaks the mold with just two fingers instead of the typical three, offering a rare glimpse into how theropod hands evolved and adapted." "But what truly makes this discovery exciting is the incredibly well-preserved keratinous sheath on its claw — the first such case in a medium- to large-sized theropod dinosaur," Kobayashi added. Image 1 of 2 Claws of the newly discovered Duonychus tsogtbaatari fossil. This species is the first therizinosaur to have been found with only two clawed fingers. Image 2 of 2 Duonychus tsogtbaatari fossil claw during excavation. The new fossil was unearthed during the construction of a water pipeline in the Bayanshiree Formation in Ömnögovi Province, southern Mongolia. The specimen had excellently preserved hands, with a 3D sheath where the claw — made out of keratin, like our fingernails — would have been. Parts of the arms, spine and hips were also preserved. "The hands, a hallmark of therizinosaurs, are exquisitely preserved with all the finger and wrist bones intact in this specimen," Zelenitsky said. "Even the keratinous sheath of the claw is preserved revealing how big and sharp its claws really were." Other species of dinosaur, such as T. rex, had two fingers, but this marks the first time a therizinosaur has been found with fewer than three digits. This species likely evolved to lose one of the three fingers of its ancestors, the study authors suggested. The researchers think that D. tsogtbaatari may have evolved this unique hand in order to better grip vegetation, allowing for more efficient feeding. "The loss of the third finger in Duonychus tsogtbaatari might actually have made its remaining two fingers even better at what they were designed for — grasping," Kobayashi said. "Based on the shape of its well-preserved claw and how it curved, Duonychus was likely using its hands to grab onto branches and pull vegetation closer, kind of like how chameleons do today." "We think many therizinosaurs may have used their hands for foraging in a 'hook-and-pull' motion, but Duonychus takes this to another level with its extreme claw structure." RELATED STORIES —Australia's 'upside down' dinosaur age had two giant predators, 120 million-year-old fossils reveal —What if a giant asteroid had not wiped out the dinosaurs? —Secrets of 1st dinosaurs lie in the Sahara and Amazon rainforest, study suggests Additionally, Kobayashi suggested that the claws may have played other roles, such as in "defense, courtship, or even play." The researchers are thrilled by this discovery, as it not only reveals unexpected diversity within therizinosaurs, but also marks the fifth time that a theropod dinosaur group has evolved to lose their third finger. "While more fossils would help confirm this, all signs point to Duonychus representing a true evolutionary shift, not just a fluke," Kobayashi said. "It's a remarkable find that reshapes our understanding of therizinosaurs and theropod evolution as a whole."
CNN
25-03-2025
- Science
- CNN
Largest fully preserved dinosaur claw unearthed in Mongolia's Gobi Desert
With distinctive two-fingered claws, the remains of a previously unknown species of dinosaur suggest it looked like a bizarre mix of sloth, giraffe and cult movie hero Edward Scissorhands, according to new research. Paleontologists unearthed the fossil in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, and the find is unique because the sheath of one of the digits is intact. Made of keratin (the same material as fingernails), the sheath reveals that the claw itself was much longer than the underlying bones. It is the largest claw of its kind found fully preserved in this way, researchers say. 'It's close to a foot in size,' said paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor at the University of Calgary in Canada and coauthor of a study on the discovery published in the journal iScience. 'This is by far the biggest claw preserved for a dinosaur that has that keratinous sheath on it.' The dinosaur has been given the scientific name Duonychus tsogtbaatari, in honor of Mongolian paleontologist Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar. The genus name Duonychus means two claws in Greek. Duonychus tsogtbaatari was part of an awkward-looking group of dinosaurs known as therizinosaurs, which were part of the theropod family that includes Tyrannosaurus rex. Therizinosaurs, however, were plant-eaters or omnivores — not apex predators. The newly discovered dinosaur stood about 10 feet (3 meters) tall and would have weighed 573 pounds (260 kilograms). It likely used its curved claws to reach vegetation, and it could have grasped branches up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter, according to the study. As well as two claws, the paleontologists also found fossilized parts of the prehistoric creature's backbone, tail, hips, arms and legs. The fossil was discovered by staff at Mongolia's Institute of Paleontology, part of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, several years ago, Zelenitsky said. Besides grasping, the two-fingered hands may have been used for display or as formidable weapons when needed, Zelenitsky said. 'They weren't predators, but they could defend themselves with those claws. They were big and very sharp,' she said. The best comparison for the distinctive digits among living animals would be the claws of a sloth, used for hanging onto tree branches, Zelenitsky added. Hands that looked like 'barbeque tongs' The discovery of Duonychus tsogtbaatari's claw is an 'exciting' find, said David Hone, a paleontologist and reader in zoology at Queen Mary University of London, who wasn't involved in the research. 'I've seen fragments from other specimens from the Gobi, but never a whole sheath like this. The kind of preservation here, which is common to the vast majority of dinosaur bearing formations, doesn't usually preserve keratin,' said Hone, who is the author of the 2024 book 'Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior: What They Did and How We Know.' 'So that's really important as we know there's a pretty uncertain relationship between the keratin and the underlying bone,' he added via email. Most therizinosaurs had long claws to grab and manipulate plants, giving them 'this reputation as Edward Scissorhands dinosaurs,' said Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology at the University of Edinburgh, referring to the titular character in the 1990 hit movie who had large scissor blades for hands. 'But this one is unique in having only two fingers on each of its giant arms, so they really do look like oversized tongs you might use when barbequing,' Brusatte, who wasn't involved in the research, said. Only a few groups of dinosaurs had two fingers, most famously Tyrannosaurus rex, while single-fingered dinosaurs were even rarer, Brusatte added. 'But whereas T. rex probably wasn't using its pathetic little arms for much, and definitely not for combat or subduing prey, these therizinosaurs were using them as an integral part of their feeding strategy,' he added. Zelenitsky said the dinosaur likely had feathers as other therizinosaurs 'were covered in feathers,' adding to their 'odd-looking demeanour.' 'This is yet another example of a wonderful new dinosaur that we couldn't have dreamed ever existed if we didn't find its fossils,' Brusatte said.
