Newly Discovered Vegan Dinosaur with Fearsome Claws

From fossilized remains unearthed on Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, a new genus and species of therizinosaurid dinosaur have been identified.

Therizinosaurs were huge herbivorous theropod dinosaurs (three-towed and hollow-boned). These were first discovered in Asia in the countries like China and Mongolia, but now Scientists from Japan have identified fossils of a novel species of therizinosaurid from Japan.

The fossil consisted of a partial vertebra and a partial wrist and forefoot, in the year 2008. According to the description, it belonged to a therizinosaur, not a manitoraptan. At the time, however, there were no comparative data, making confirmation impossible.

Scientists recently revisited the specimen and new insight lead to the classification of Therizinosaurs based on the morphology of the forefoot claws. Therizinosaurs can be classified into basal Therizinosaurs and derived Therizinosaurs according to the function of the forefoot claws.

A new species of therizinosaur has been discovered in Japan: Paralitherizinosaurus japonicus. As a result of its discovery, now know that Therizinosaurs in Asia existed over a wider geographical area and over a longer timeframe than previously believed. Therizinosaurs have never been found in marine sediments in Asia before. These fossils, along with one found in Utah, suggest that some of the Therizinosaurs adapted to coastal environments.

This study will be expanded to other Therizinosaurs from around the world, which will give us a better understanding of this strange species of dinosaurs.