Bizarre new dinosaur with giant claws discovered in China
It walked on two legs and may have looked like a feathered bear with giant claws. Meet Kayrasaurus changliensis—well, its almost complete skeleton, to be precise.
In China, paleontologists have uncovered a new species of therizinosaur, Kayrasaurus changliensis, with an almost complete skeleton discovered in the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning. This Early Cretaceous dinosaur, measuring over 3.6 meters long and weighing between 117 and 274 kilograms, is currently the largest therizinosaurian species found in the Jehol Biota, surpassing the previous record holder, Beipiaosaurus inexpectus by at least 1.6 times.
Kayrasaurus changliensis exhibits unique characteristics, such as a jaw packed with numerous small and tightly packed teeth, a longer neck vertebrae compared to other therizinosaurs, and one claw with a raised lip. Additionally, the upper jaw had an unusually large opening near the snout, while the nasal bones extended back to the middle of the eye sockets and split into a strange two-pronged tip.
The lower jaw featured a tall, triangular side opening. These distinct anatomical traits set Kayrasaurus changliensis apart from its relatives, helping researchers understand its position within the therizinosaurian family tree. The study also suggests that Jehol therizinosaurs may have occupied different ecological niches, with some species being sturdier and less suited to running, while others relied more on their forelimbs for feeding.
However, the research team acknowledges that their findings are provisional due to several limitations, including the missing hind legs of Kayrasaurus changliensis, which makes its true weight and movement patterns uncertain, and the severely flattened skull of the fossil, which hides some features.
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