You hardly imagined such dinosaurs, isn't it?
About 66 million years ago, along with a huge tyrannosaurs and Diplodocus on the planet ran a tiny alvarezsaurid (Alvarezsauridae). We are talking about a small family of dinosaurs, whose bodies were covered with feathers and has only reached a 3-meter length. These creatures were very noticeable, and to some extent ridiculous feature — on their front paws was only one finger, which grew one large claw. The images of the dinosaurs really do look strange and awkward but, in fact, with the help of their clawed paws they are very cleverly searched for insects under the rotten bark of trees and nests. Recently, researchers were able to discover a new species of these creatures and tell a few interesting facts. For example, it became known that with age the claws of the dinosaurs became stronger.
A new dinosaur was described in a scientific . The remains of several individuals of the so-called Trierarchuncus prairiensis was discovered in formation the hell Creek, which is located in the U.S. state of Montana. Unfortunately, complete skeletons, the researchers could not find — must be over millions of years, the bones were scattered around the area or simply decomposed. But scientists have found three claws, which clearly belonged to individuals of different ages. The researchers believe that because the representatives alvarezsaurids on each front paw had only one claw. Besides, the remains found were of different size and different structure.
It is Important to note that the name Trierarchuncus prairiensis has been given to the new dinosaur is not just. With the Greek language, the word "trierarch" can be translated as "captain of the ship". And the word "uncus" in Latin means "hook". According to scientists, the name can be nicely translated as "Captain Hook Prairie." And Prairie, for those who don't know — is one of the forms of the steppe in the United States and Canada.
Picture Prairie
you knew
According to the group of scientists led by paleontologist Denver Fowler (Fowler Denver) discovered the claws belonged to a juvenile and an adult. Examining their structure, the researchers came to the conclusion that the claws of the young dinosaurs was smooth. With age, the grooves of the blood vessels in the region of the claws more deeply into bone. In General, the claws of adults "captain hooks" become more durable and tough. Could the feathered dinosaurs to protect themselves from predators with claws, is unknown. But one thing is clear — the forelegs are perfectly suited for the destruction of nests.
scientists have Discovered the damn claw just over one centimeter
In the original scientific paper reported that representatives of a new species of dinosaur had a lot of tiny but sharp teeth. According to them by using them they ate different insects. But that's where scientists know about the presence of many teeth, not clearly — the message says only about the discovery of the claws. If they really managed to find the remains of the teeth, it would be interesting to see them in the pictures. However, they certainly made such a conclusion, given the structure of the body other representatives of the family alvarezsauridae. Previously, scientists were able to find skulls and other body parts of ancient animals.
the Skeleton of one of the members of the Alvarezsauridae family of dinosaurs
Some scientists believe that alvarezsaurid is one of the . This hint several factors:
Their bodies were covered with feathers;
They were small in size; the
What really looks like — if it was discovered that they could whistle or crow, then doubt would be left. And so, doubts about the accessories feathered dinosaurs to birds is. Some researchers believe that dealing with a primitive species of ornithomimosaur (Ornithomimosauria), which scientists call a "bird-like lizards".
Very interesting discovery, isn't it? If you are interested in ancient animals, I recommend you to read the article about dinosaur eggs. It was logical to assume that the eggs are huge animals of antiquity has great strength, but no, some cubs were born inside a soft "bags" of which .
