According to the results of studying fossils dating back regarding 85 million years, experts discovered an Ornithomimosauria dinosaur with a small ostrich-like head. They can weigh more than 800 kg.
Chinzorig Tsogtbaatar, an expert at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science and colleagues, studied fossils dating back between 85 and 72 million years and discovered they belonged to the Ornithomimosauria dinosaur.
The ostrich-like Ornithimosaurian dinosaur grew to enormous size in eastern North America regarding 85 million years ago.
According to the data, at the end of the Cretaceous period, North America was divided by a sea route into two lands: Laramidia to the west and Appalachian to the east.
Because very few fossils have been found in Appalachia, scientists are still unable to decipher the science of the ancient ecosystems here.
In the Chinzorig team’s research, fossils were discovered belonging to Ornithomimosaur dinosaurs from the Eutaw Formation in Mississippi.
The research results of the team of experts show that the Ornithomimosauria dinosaur looked quite like an ostrich when it had a small head, long arms and strong legs.
In addition, the fossils, including the metatarsal bones, provide valuable information to help scientists better understand a mysterious evolutionary stage of dinosaurs in North America.
By comparing the proportions of Ornithomimosaurian dinosaur fossils with the growth pattern inside the bones, the team determined they might belong to two species. In particular, one species of Ornithomiosauria has a relatively small size while the other has a very large body.
The team estimates that the larger species can reach more than 800 kg in weight as an adult. Some individuals may be heavier. Accordingly, they became one of the largest Ornithomimosauria species that ever lived on Earth.
In addition, fossils of Ornithimomosauria species found in the US help to clarify their evolutionary scheme.
