Gobi Desert Find: New Dinosaur Species Had Giant Claws for Grasping Vegetation

A new dinosaur species, *Duonychus tsogtbaatari* (doo-ON-ih-kus tsog-tah-BAH-tar-ee), unearthed in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, possessed two large claws on each arm, according to iScience journal. The fossils included a well-preserved, curved claw, suggesting the species used them to grasp vegetation. The claw, about a foot long, retained its keratin sheath. Despite the claws, *Duonychus* was herbivorous, similar to sloths or pandas, using the claws to pull vegetation to its mouth. The fossils were found in 2012 during pipeline construction. The keratin sheath fossilized due to rapid burial after death, protecting it for 90 million years. Vertebrate paleontologist Jake Kotevski noted the rarity of finding intact keratin sheaths on dinosaur claws. This discovery enhances understanding of theropod evolution. *Duonychus tsogtbaatari* is a two-fingered therizinosaur, an unusual trait in this group of long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period. A partial skeleton was also found, estimating the dinosaur's weight at 260 kilograms. The species is named after paleontologist Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar.