The Dickinson Museum Center and Badlands Dinosaur Museum received a new addition to its department. Denver Fowler, curator of the Badlands Dinosaur Museum tells more.
BRETT FRENCH
The unusual claw of a 3-foot-long dinosaur, which went extinct about 66 million years ago, has been unearthed in Montana â the largest specimen collected from the species so far.
âItâs a cute little dinosaur,â said Denver Fowler, curator of the Badlands Dinosaur Museum in North Dakotaâs Dickinson Museum Center.
The fast, long-legged bird â which he named Trierarchuncus prairiensis â had short, strong forelimbs tipped with a large claw next to two smaller claws. One theory is the claws â coupled with the strong, tiny arms â were used to tear open logs to reach grubs to eat.
Earlier speculation was the claws may have been used to tear open termite mounds. The fact that the dinosaur ate insects is manifested by its peg-like teeth, similar to an aardvarkâs.