Fossils of a newly discovered dinosaur, Duonychus tsogtbaatari, have revealed an unusual creature with two-fingered hands sporting large curved claws. The 10-foot-long, 575-pound dinosaur lived around 90-95 million years ago in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia.
Duonychus was a member of the therizinosaur group, known for its rotund torso, long neck, small head, and massive claws on its hands. This is distinct from other theropod dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus, which were meat-eaters with three-fingered hands.
The discovery sheds light on a unique aspect of digit reduction in dinosaur evolution, where some lineages lost fingers or toes over time. Duonychus has five known lineages of theropods that independently evolved two fingers on each hand.
Paleontologists suggest that the dinosaur’s reduced hand construction may have been suited for its specialized feeding behavior or food source. While it’s unclear why fewer fingers would be beneficial, experts believe that some dinosaurs with grasping vegetation behaviors required a more efficient method to gather food.
The study, published in the journal iScience, highlights the fascinating diversity of therizinosaur dinosaurs and their unique adaptations to their environments.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/science/weird-mongolian-dinosaur-wielded-big-sharp-nasty-claws-2025-03-25