A Newly Identified Hell Chicken' Species Suggests Dinosaurs Weren't Sliding Toward Extinction Before The Fateful Asteroid Hit

A newly identified ‘Hell chicken’ species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sli... https://ca.yahoo.com/news/newly-identified-hell-chicken-species-1901...
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A newly identified ‘Hell chicken’ species

suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding toward
extinction before the fateful asteroid hit
Kyle Atkins-Weltman, Oklahoma State University and Eric
Snively, Oklahoma State University
Wed, January 24, 2024 at 12:01 p.m. MST
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Birdlike dinosaur *Eoneophron infernalis* was about the size of an adult human.
Zubin Erik Dutta
Were dinosaurs already on their way out when an asteroid

hit Earth 66 million years ago, ending the Cretaceous, the
geologic period that started about 145 million years ago?
It’s a question that has vexed paleontologists like us for
more than 40 years.
In the late 1970s, debate began about whether dinosaurs

were at their peak or in decline before their big
1 of 9 1/25/24, 1:55 PM
extinction. Scientists at that time noted that while

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dinosaur diversity seemed to have increased in the
geologic stage that spanned 83.6 million to 71.2 million
years ago, the number of species on the scene seemed to
decrease during the last few million years of the
Cretaceous. Some researchers have interpreted this
pattern to mean that the asteroid that struck the Gulf of
Mexico was simply the final blow for an already
vulnerable group of animals.
However, others have argued that what looks like a

decrease in the diversity of dinosaurs may be an artifact
of how hard it is to accurately count them. Fossil
formations might preserve different dinosaurs more or
less often based on factors like their favored environment
and how easily their bodies fossilized there. The
accessibility of various outcrops could influence what
kinds of fossils researchers have so far found. These
biases are a problem because fossils are what
paleontologists must rely on to conclusively answer how
healthy dinosaur populations were when the asteroid hit.
At that crucial moment, what was really happening to

dinosaur diversity? Discovery, identification and
description of new dinosaurs provide vital clues. This is
where our work comes in. Close examination of what we’d
thought was a juvenile specimen of an already known
species of dinosaur from this time period revealed that it
was actually part of an adult from a completely new
species.
Our work focusing on the life stage of our specimen

demonstrates that dinosaur diversity may not have been
declining before the asteroid hit, but rather that there are
more species from this time period yet to be discovered –
potentially even through reclassification of fossils already
in museum collections.
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Kyle Atkins-Weltman holds the femur of the new dinosaur as it was received,
with the other fossils in the background. Kyle Atkins-Weltman
Clues inside the bones of a birdlike

dinosaur
Our new study focused on four hindlimb bones – a femur,

a tibia and two metatarsals. They were unearthed in
South Dakota, in rocks of the Hell Creek Formation, and
date to the final 2 million years of the Cretaceous.
When we first examined the bones, we identified them as

belonging to a family of dinosaurs known as the
caenagnathids – a group of birdlike dinosaurs that had
toothless beaks, long legs and short tails. Direct fossil and
inferred evidence indicates these dinosaurs were covered
in complex feathers, much like modern birds.
The only known species of caenagnathid from this time

and region was Anzu, sometimes called the “chicken from
Hell.” Covered in feathers and sporting wings and a
toothless beak, Anzu was between roughly 450 and 750
pounds (200 and 340 kilograms). Despite its fearsome
nickname, though, its diet is a matter of debate. It was
likely an omnivore, eating both plant material and small
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animals. Temu
Because our specimen was significantly smaller than

Anzu, we simply assumed it was a juvenile. We chalked up
the anatomical differences we noticed to its juvenile
status and smaller size – and figured the animal would
have changed had it continued to grow. Anzu specimens
are rare, and no definite juveniles have been published in
the scientific literature, so we were excited to potentially
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learn more about how it grew and changed throughout its

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lifetime by looking inside its bones.
Just like with a tree’s rings, bone records rings called lines
of arrested growth. Each annual line represents part of a
year when the animal’s growth slowed. They would tell us
how old this animal was, and how fast or slow it was
growing.
We cut through the middle of three of the bones so that

we could microscopically examine the internal anatomy of
the cross-sections. What we saw completely uprooted our
initial assumptions.
Teal markers point to lines of arrested growth on the cross-section of fossilized

bone. Toward the outside of the bone, the lines are much closer together,
reflecting less growth per year. Researchers counted exactly six lines, meaning
this animal was between 6 and 7 years old when it died. Holly Woodward
In a juvenile, we would expect lines of arrested growth in

the bone to be widely spaced, indicating rapid growth,
with even spacing between the lines from the inside to
the outside surface of the bone. Here, we saw that the
later lines were spaced progressively closer together,
indicating that this animal’s growth had slowed and it was
nearly at its adult size.
This was no juvenile. Instead, it was an adult of an entirely

new species, which we dubbed Eoneophron infernalis. The
name means “Pharaoh’s dawn chicken from Hell,”
referencing the nickname of its larger cousin Anzu. Traits
unique to this species include ankle bones fused to the
tibia, and a well-developed ridge on one of its foot bones.
These weren’t features a young Anzu would outgrow, but
rather unique aspects of the smaller Eoneophron.
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Expanding the caenagnathid family tree

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With this new evidence, we started making thorough

comparisons with other members of the family to
determine where Eoneophron infernalis fit within the
group.
It also inspired us to reexamine other bones previously

believed to be Anzu, as we now knew that more
caenagnathid dinosaurs lived in western North America
during that time. One specimen, a partial foot bone
smaller than our new specimen, appeared distinct from
both Anzu and Eoneophron. Where once there was one
“chicken from Hell,” now there were two, and evidence for
a third: one large (Anzu), weighing as much as a grizzly
bear, one medium (Eoneophron), humanlike in weight, and
one small and yet unnamed, close in size to a German
shepherd.
Eoneophron infernalis and the smaller unnamed species now join the larger
Anzu as late-Cretaceous caenagnathid dinosaurs from the Hell Creek region.
Zubin Erik Dutta
Comparing Hell Creek with older fossil formations such as

the famous Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta that
preserves dinosaurs that lived between 76.5 million and
74.4 million years ago, we find not only the same number
of caenagnathid species, but also the same size classes.
There, we have Caenagnathus, comparable to Anzu,
Chirostenotes, comparable to Eoneophron, and Citipes,
comparable to the third species we found evidence for.
These parallels in both species count and relative sizes
offer compelling evidence that caenagnathids remained
stable throughout the last part of the Cretaceous.
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Our new discovery suggests that this dinosaur group was

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not declining in diversity at the very end of the
Cretaceous. These fossils show that there are still new
species to be discovered, and support the idea that at
least part of the pattern of decreasing diversity is the
result of sampling and preservation biases.
Did large dinosaurs go extinct the way a Hemingway

character quipped he went broke: “gradually, then
suddenly”? While there are plenty of questions still
outstanding in this extinction debate, Eoneophron adds
evidence that caenagnathids were doing quite well for
themselves before the asteroid ruined everything.
This article has been updated to correct the full name in

English of the new species.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a

nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you
facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex
world.
It was written by: Kyle Atkins-Weltman, Oklahoma State

University and Eric Snively, Oklahoma State University.
Read more:
• Did male and female dinosaurs differ? A new statistical

technique is helping answer the question
• Nocturnal dinosaurs: Night vision and superb hearing

in a small theropod suggest it was a moonlight
predator
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or

receive funding from any company or organization that
would benefit from this article, and Furosemide,
Forget have disclosed no Household Item To Help Drain
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relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
sponsored by: healthlabnews.com
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A newly identified ‘Hell chicken’ species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sli... https://ca.yahoo.com/news/newly-identified-hell-chicken-species-1901...

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A newly identiﬁed ‘Hell chicken’ species

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Were dinosaurs already on their way out when an asteroid

In the late 1970s, debate began about whether dinosaurs

extinction. Scientists at that time noted that while

However, others have argued that what looks like a

At that crucial moment, what was really happening to

Our work focusing on the life stage of our specimen

Clues inside the bones of a birdlike

Our new study focused on four hindlimb bones – a femur,

When we ﬁrst examined the bones, we identiﬁed them as

The only known species of caenagnathid from this time

Because our specimen was signiﬁcantly smaller than

learn more about how it grew and changed throughout its

We cut through the middle of three of the bones so that

Teal markers point to lines of arrested growth on the cross-section of fossilized

In a juvenile, we would expect lines of arrested growth in

This was no juvenile. Instead, it was an adult of an entirely

Expanding the caenagnathid family tree

With this new evidence, we started making thorough

It also inspired us to reexamine other bones previously

Comparing Hell Creek with older fossil formations such as

Our new discovery suggests that this dinosaur group was

Did large dinosaurs go extinct the way a Hemingway

This article has been updated to correct the full name in

This article is republished from The Conversation, a

It was written by: Kyle Atkins-Weltman, Oklahoma State

• Did male and female dinosaurs diﬀer? A new statistical

• Nocturnal dinosaurs: Night vision and superb hearing

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or

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