That the ancient history of our planet was well dominated by beasts is clear from the series of dinosaurs being unearthed from across the world. Fossilized remains of a giant bird-like dinosaur have been dug out recently in China, in the region of Inner Mongolia.
But, this is not just another such find of dinosaur remains. This find is a feathered dinosaur, but what catapulted it to the headlines is its structure i.e. 35 times heavier than any such remain found till date.
This find also defies the popular theory that meat-eating dinosaurs “got smaller” to evolve to be more bird-like, as this beast weighed about 1,400kg (3,080lbs) with its weight of about 35 times the other similar counterparts.
Even being only a young adult when it died, the beaked animal was 8m (26ft) long and twice as tall as a man at the shoulder; according to the journal Nature.
The enormous size of the dinosaur was due its fast growth rate, which is even faster than the rate at which the precocious Tyrannosaurus rex grows!
But, what the newly found dinosaur ‘ate’ is something still puzzling the scientists.
With its sharp claws for tearing flesh, the Gigantoraptor erlianensis possesses some features of meat-eating dinosaurs, while its small head and long neck suggest a plant-eater’s features!
Is it the missing link between the transformation phases of the dinosaurs?