Bizarre beaked hell chicken is the first dinosaur discovered to eat fruit
Like a prehistoric parrot on steroids.The Cretaceous might seem synonymous with hardcore carnivores and plus-sized plant-eaters.However, researchers have discovered a new species of dinosaur with mouthparts designed for eating fruit, making it the first-known dino with this particular diet, per the study in the journal Nature.“We knew dinosaurs evolved to fill so many different roles in ecosystems in the Cretaceous, but we never expected to discover fruit-eating dinosaurs,” said Dr.
Gregory Funston, assistant professor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University, Phys.org reported.They dubbed the primeval melon muncher Infernogallus jamesi, its genus meaning “Hell Chicken” after the Hell Creek Formation where it was exhumed.This fossil-rich formation spans Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.The fructose-loving oviraptor resided in the region some 66 million years ago — when it was a subtropical coastal plain — alongside the likes of Triceratops, the mace-tailed Anklyosuarus and the fearsome T.
Rex.In fact, the 5ft, 25-pound Infernogallus belonged to the theropod group that comprises all meat-eating dinosaurs, including the tyrannosaur, Reuters reported.However, unlike its meat-eating brethren, this turkey-sized dino preferred fruit, based on the team’s analysis of its mouth.
These adaptations included jaw muscles that powered back-and-forth chewing motions, and ridges and grooves on its beak to help snip and mash its sweet quarry to separate the seeds from the flesh.Such features had been observed separately in turtles and parrots, but never in one creature — until now.“It’s pretty rare for animals to become specialized for a diet of fruit, so when it happens, it comes with some remarkable adaptations,” said study co-author Dr.Thomas Dudgeon of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada.Most importantly, the discovery provides a missing link between dinosaur diversity and flowering plants, whi...