A new dinosaur has been discovered in the Gobi Desert, shedding light on the hunting strategies of Late Cretaceous predators. Shri rapax, a stocky two-legged predator, boasts an impressive thumb claw measuring 3.1 inches long – almost double that of its rival Velociraptor.
The fossilized remains were unearthed after a winding journey through private collections and repatriated to Mongolia. Paleontologists have reassembled the bones, revealing a creature that roamed dune-laced lakeshores between 75 and 71 million years ago.
According to Andrea Cau, an independent Italian paleontologist, Shri rapax’s hand is more robust than that of Velociraptor, with thicker finger bones capped by an oversized claw. This unique adaptation suggests a predator relying on pure grip strength rather than slashing kicks.
The discovery challenges previous assumptions about faunal turnover between Mongolian formations and highlights the value of Mongolia’s desert sites in preserving Mesozoic life. With its powerful thumb claw, Shri rapax may have targeted bigger prey than other Gobi carnivores, using its muscular hands to wrestle stocky herbivores face-to-face.
The find adds to the already diverse concentration of mid-sized theropods in the Gobi fossil record and underscores the importance of studying niche partitioning. Future research will aim to clarify whether Shri rapax coexisted or followed each other in rapid succession with its sister species, Shri devi.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/shri-rapax-dinosaur-discovered-that-killed-with-potent-thumbs-instead-of-foot-claws