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| An artist's impression of the newly-discovered dinosaur, called Hagryphus. Photo: Michael Skrepnick |
Fossils from a new species of birdlike dinosaur resembling a 2.1 metre brightly coloured turkey and which could run at up to 40 kph have been found in southern Utah.
Fossils of the meat-eater's hand-like claw and foot found in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument near the Arizona border in Utah, give paleontologists reason to believe some dinosaurs known as raptors roamed from Canada to northern New Mexico about 75 million years ago.
The dinosaur had a strong toothless beak, powerful arms and formidable claws that made it capable of eating animals and plants. Large feathers grew on its hind end, giving it a resemblance to a turkey, Zanno said today.
Scientists are not sure what purpose the feathers served, but it was not for flying. "It's quite different from modern birds," she said.
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