SCIENTISTS have discovered a new species of dinosaurs that could change what we know about the demise of the giants.
The researchers re-examined a fossil from the Hell Creek Formation in North America, leading to its “chicken from Hell” nickname.
It’s thought the fossil is evidence of a new species of dinosaur that had emerged at the time.
If this is the case, it would help support the argument that dinosaurs weren’t already struggling and dying out before the killer asteroid hit.
The fossil in question belonged to a bird-like creature from a family of animals called Caenagnathidae.
It was previously thought to be a juvenile of an already-known species called Anzu.
Anzu were large feathered dinosaurs weighing anywhere between 450 to 750 pounds.
Now, scientists suspect the leg bones they were investigating were not from an infant Anzu but a whole new species called Eoneophron infernalis.
A translated version of the Latin name means Pharaoh’s chicken from Hell.
This references the scientific name of Anzu which simply translates to “chicken from Hell.”
Caenagnathoid dinosaurs lived in the Cretaceous period in North America and Asia.
They do look a lot like terrifying chickens and a lot of artistic impressions show them with feathers.
The Cretaceous period lasted from around 145.5 million years ago to 66 million years ago.
The bones in question are dated to the final two years of this time period.
It’s thought the dinosaurs died out due to an asteroid collision around 65 million years ago.
The researchers feel that the time before this collision has been underestimated.
They wrote: “These results show that caenagnathid diversity in the Hell Creek ecosystem has been underestimated.”
It’s thought other fossils may have been misidentified and mass reclassification in museums may need to take place.
