10 weirdest dinosaurs that are hard to believe

1. Therizinosaurus

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis

If this name sounds funny to you, keep in mind that rubber has nothing to do with it. The name translates as “tortoise-shaped lizard-mower”. The fact is that at first the bones of therizinosaurus were acceptedT. R. Holtz Jr. Mystery of the horrible hands solved / Nature for the remains of a turtle. But then it turned out that this is a wild furry creature, reminiscent of some kind of hellish duck with hands like Freddy Krueger's.

The length of its claws was 50 centimeters - none of the now known land animals had such. At the same time, therizinosaurus was an exceptionally peaceful vegetarian.

Why would he have such paws if he is a herbivore? At first, they decided that this was such a protection mechanism. Well, if you're unlucky enough to meet a therapod in the forest, you can give him one slap in the face, and the predator will be crippled for the rest of his life. Such marigolds seem to be a compelling argument in a showdown with aggressors.

But later, scientists came to the conclusion that the dinosaur used its claws like modern sloths - to make it easier to cling to trees while feeding. True, he did not climb the branches - after all, his height was 9-10 meters, and his weight was about three tons.

2. Pegomastax

Pegomastax africana

He belonged to the heterodontosaurid family. RemarkableP. Sereno. Taxonomy, morphology, masticatory function and phylogeny of heterodontosaurid dinosaurs / ZooKeys with his head, which looked like a skull parrot, to which the porcupine skin was attached. And in his beak he also had fangs sticking out.

They were designed in such a way that every time the pegomastax closed its jaws, its teeth sharpened against each other. However, this formidable bite was not impressive in size - only 60 centimeters from the beak to the tip of the tail.

3. Sujousaurus

Suzhousaurus megatherioides

This is a relative of therizinosaurus, which was in no way inferior to him in originality.H. Pu. An unusual basal therizinosaur with an ornithischian dental arrangement from northeastern China / PLOS One appearance. Was found in the territory Of China in Suzhou. He looked like a crazy hybrid of a sloth and a giant rat, covered in thick fluff, with a bald vulture head and huge claws.

Actually, it was in honor of megatherium, a giant sloth, that Chinese scientists gave it its name. In length, it reached 6 meters and weighed 3.1 tons. Despite its frightening appearance, like its relatives, it was herbivore.

4. Yutyrannus

Yutyrannus huali

Tyrannosaurus rex was a tough predator. But he had a huge number of relatives who were in no way inferior to him in ferocity and at the same time could boast of a rather extravagant look. For example, a yutirannus is a creature about 9 meters long and weighing from 1 to 2 tons.

But the rex was fluffy, like an adorable duckling, only in his youth, and the adults, apparently, lost their feathers and went naked. Yutyrannus sported magnificent plumageYutyrannus: The Feathered Tyrannosaurus / ThoughtCo up to 20 centimeters long for life.

It protected him from the cold, because the lizard was found in northeastern China, where it was cool in the Cretaceous - the average temperature is 10 ° C. And scientists have definitely established that in the mouth of the yutyrannus there was a flat tongue, like a crocodile.

5. Orictodrome

Oryctodromeus cubicularis

Usually we imagine dinosaurs as huge and incredibly powerful monsters that trample entire continents and playfully slap Godzilla and Kong in the face. But in fact, most of the terrible lizards were quite modest in size. For example, oriktodromeD. J. Varricchio. First trace and body fossil evidence of a burrowing, denning dinosaur / The Royal Society Publishing - a creature up to 2.1 meters long and weighing only 32 kilograms.

He did not seek to grow into a giant the size of a house, but dug holes and looked for food in the forest floor, like rabbits, badgers and guinea pigs.

In burrows, these dinosaurs fed their chicks and lived in small families. By the way, the forelimbs of oriktodromei, adapted for digging, resembled badgers. Yes, a two-meter bird-badger covered with down and feathers. Nothing special.

6. Chaoyosaurus

Chaoyangsaurus youngi

If you remember, in the movie "Jurassic Park"There was a Triceratops - a huge three-horned dinosaur with a bone collar around its neck. Surprisingly, the tiny Chaoyosaurus was a distant relative and possibly even ancestor of the giant.X. Zhao, Z. Cheng, X. Xu. The earliest ceratopsian from the Tuchengzi Formation of Liaoning, China / Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. He was found in China, in the vicinity of the city of Chaoyang.

It was only about a meter long, but it had already acquired a beak and crest rudiments, which it would inherit from its descendants, the ceratopsians. This baby needed a beak to chop nuts and seeds that had just appeared in the plant kingdom.

That is, the Chaoyosaurus is one of the first creatures in history, which, in principle, was able to click seeds.

But the main decorationTop 10 Cutest Dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era / ThoughtCo Chaoynosaurus is the appendages on its tail. It is not clear, however, why they were needed at all. Most scientists believe that this decoration is to attract females and show off to relatives. But some put forward the version that the growths were connected by a membrane and were used as a fin.

7. Amargasaurus

Amargasaurus cazaui

Amargasaurus belongs to the genus of sauropods, that is, it is related to the huge apatosaurs and brachiosaurs. Well, those creatures with long necks and small heads that look like a walking crane.

AmargasaurusAmargasaurus: Habitat, Behavior, and Diet / ThoughtCo in comparison with them, he was a real dwarf, because in length it reached only 10 meters and weighed no more than 3 tons. But at the same time he had a decoration on his neck - two parallel rows of long spikes up to 60 centimeters long. It is unlikely that this was a protection from predators - rather a tool for mating dances.

8. Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus sastrei

Literally the name of this predator translates as "carnivorous bull". He had a wide head, set on a short neck, and two small horns protruded from his skull. Carnotaurus is the only horned predator in the history of the planet. It is not particularly clear why he needed these things on his head: he obviously did not try to butt the victim, but preferred to suddenly pounce on her and bite.

Perhaps the carnotaurus usedR. Delcourt. Ceratosaur palaeobiology: new insights on evolution and ecology of the southern rulers / Scientific Reports horns in courtship courtship or in opposition to other relatives. They will stand like this opposite each other - and let's butt, who will push whom. Modern marine iguanas play and compete in approximately the same way, and they also have a lot of all kinds of game growing on their heads.

The carnotaurus was about 9 meters long and weighed about 1.5 tons. His eyesight was weak, so the predator relied mainly on scent. And the front legs are short - and you were laughing at the tyrannosaurus. But the hind legsW. S. Persons IV, P. J. Currie. Dinosaur Speed ​​Demon: The Caudal Musculature of Carnotaurus sastrei and Implications for the Evolution of South American Abelisaurids / PLOS One such that to escape from this predator, if he sets himself the goal of catching up with you, even on a moped will not always work.

9. Deinocheyrus

Deinocheirus mirificus

A charming flat-faced duck with a length of 11 meters and a weight of 12 tons. He had no teeth, but with a muzzle of this size, toothlessness was no longer at all a noticeable problem. He was omnivorous, like the modern bear, and ate both vegetation and fish.

The name "deinocheirus" translates as "terrible hand", and his forelimbs were indeed large and clawed. The lizard used them to catch fish. On the back was presentY. Lee. Resolving the long-standing enigmas of a giant ornithomimosaur Deinocheirus mirificus / Nature either a huge crest, or a hump - science is still at a loss.

Most likely, deinocheirus stored fat there: in a well-fed time it will come in handy to show off to females, in a hungry time it will supply calories.

And the deinocheirus itself served as a source of calories for tarbosaurs - relatives of tyrannosaurs, only with a longer and more serious muzzle. Such a bite on the hump - and that's it, go away.

10. Ulugbekzaur uzbekistanis

Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis

No, this is not the name of some immigrant from Central Asia. It is a carnosaur carnivore and one of the earliest bipedal therapods. It was foundK. Tanaka. A new carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur occupies apex predator niche in the early Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan / The Royal Society Publishing in Uzbekistan and received the name Ulugbek in honor of the grandson of Tamerlane, the ruler of the Timurid state.

This historical figure was not only a sultan, but also a mathematician, astronomer, philanthropist, historian and poet. And he deserves to be named after him a dinosaur.

Ulugbekzaurus was about 8 meters long and weighed about a ton, and its large mouth was completed with huge shark teeth.