What does dinosaur Deinocheirus mirificus name mean?

The specific name comes from Latin and means “unusual” or “peculiar”, chosen for the unusual structure of the forelimbs.

Deinocheirus was an unusual ornithomimosaur, the largest of the clade at 11 m (36 ft) long, and weighing 6.4 t (7.1 short tons). Though it was a bulky animal, it had many hollow bones which saved weight. The arms were among the largest of any bipedal dinosaur at 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long, with large, blunt claws on its three-fingered hands. The legs were relatively short, and bore blunt claws. Its vertebrae had tall neural spines that formed a “sail” along its back. Most of the vertebrae and some other bones were highly pneumatised by invading air sacs. The tail ended in pygostyle-like vertebrae, which indicate the presence of a fan of feathers. The skull was 1.024 m (3.36 ft) long, with a wide bill and a deep lower jaw, similar to those of hadrosaurs.

Deinocheirus’s diet is uncertain, but due to its classification and the fact that fish scales and plants were discovered inside the stomach, it is most likely an omnivore. Although, it is accepted that Deinocheirus wouldn’t have attempted to actively bring down prey. Instead, Deinocheirus may have eaten insects, small dinosaurs as well as other small animals, and fish in carnivorous terms. Furthermore, the mouth was adapted to eat small plants and animals, and occasionally, fungi.

Picture Credit : Google

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