Palaeontologists have unearthed a new genus of therizinosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous period in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan.
Dubbed Paralitherizinosaurus japonicus, this new species of dinosaur roamed around the shores of Asia between 66 million and 145 million years ago.
The most remarkable aspect of this species is that it had sword-like claws, like Edward Scissorhands, which were used not for eviscerating animal prey but rather to slash vegetation as it was a herbivore species, the study said.
Paralitherizinosaurus japonicus, a bipedal dinosaur with massive sword-like claws, was discovered earlier, but limited fossils delay its classification. More odd dinosaurs are turning out with weird adaptations that experts know so little about so far.
Millions of years ago, a bipedal dinosaur with knives for fingers stalked the shores of the Asian continent. But those Edward Scissorhandslike weapons were used for slashing vegetation rather than eviscerating animal prey, according to a new stud