The bizarre raptor-like dinosaurs that menaced the Mesozoic
In the third episode of our Dead World video series, National Geographic digital editor Nicholas St. Fleur examines tiny prehistoric predators with baffling claws, weird wings, and bony skulls potentially used as battering rams.
A newly discovered Spinosaurus sporting a bizarre, curved blade-like crest has snatched the headlines. But this massive carnivore is far from the only odd-looking prehistoric predator out there. In this episode of Dead World, our archaeology and paleontology video series, we look at some bizarre raptor-like dinosaurs that menaced the Mesozoic.
These dinosaurs show just how strange evolution can get. Xenovenator, a recently discovered troodontid from Mexico, had a thickened skull that it may have used as a battering ram. Microraptor flew with four wings, and a study published in January shows how this dromeosaur used that extra pair to glide through the air unlike any bird today. A new, well-preserved specimen of Alnashetri cerropoliciensis from Argentina revealed that this chicken-sized dinosaur had unusually long arms compared to its alvarezsaur relatives.
Then there’s Manipulonyx reshetovi, a recently discovered alvarezsaur in Mongolia. This scrappy little dinosaur had one giant claw and spikes jutting from its palms. Researchers think it may have used that claw to steal eggs from other dinosaurs, pierce the shells, and consume the yolk.
But it may be too soon yet to brand this dinosaur an egg thief. We also discuss the cautionary tale of Oviraptor, a group that includes the famous “Baby Louie,” which graced the May 1996 cover of National Geographic. Scientists once thought these emu-like dinosaurs were egg stealers, only for later research to exonerate them, revealing that they were actually attentive parents brooding over their eggs.
Watch the video and let us know what other super-dead things we should cover next.
