Life reconstruction of Natovenator polydontus. Credit: Yusik Choi
Phys.org has a story about a new Cretaceous bird. The animal, named Natovenator polydontus, a non-avian theropod dinosaur was discovered in the Hermiin Tsav fossil formation in Mongolia back in 2008. It lived during the Cretaceous Period roughly 100 million to 66 million years ago. N. polydontus had teeth, which implies it had a varied diet. The research was published in the journal Communication Biology.
In their study of the fossil, the researchers found it to be well-preserved and nearly complete—it had most of its two hindlimbs, one of its forelimbs, most of its skull and most of its spinal column. It also had a mouthful of teeth. The researchers noted that the skeleton was similar in shape to many modern water birds, sleek and trim, suggesting it lived on or near the water and survived by fishing offshore.
The researchers also noted that its ribs pointed toward its tail, another common feature of waterbirds. But it was not avian—there was no sign of wings. The researchers also noted that the overall shape of the skeleton suggested very strongly that it did not use its forelimbs for walking, likely giving it a penguin-like gait.
Their findings suggest the dinosaur belonged to the therapod family and had not been identified before; thus, it represented a newly discovered species. They named it Natovenator polydontus, which roughly translates to "hunter that swims and has a lot of teeth." They suggest it also most closely resembled Halszkaraptor, another non-avian dinosaur that also lived in what is now Mongolia.
