back to article Long armof of the saur: Brachially gifted dino bone conundrum solved

The secrets of a long-armed, “totally bizarre” dinosaur have finally been plumbed after bone-boffins unearthed a much fuller specimen of the odd creature. Deinocheirus mirificus Since 1965, when scientists in Mongolia dug up two huge dino forearms measuring 2.4m, baffled boffins have wondered what kind of giant lizard they …

  1. chivo243 Silver badge

    Long arms, bad posture

    Looks like one of my profs from university!

  2. Bunbury

    A long time ago, but in this galaxy

    Me-sah Jar Jar Binks.

  3. breakfast Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Easily explained

    It seems likely these evolved as part of an evolutionary arms race.

    1. Peter Gathercole Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Easily explained

      Besides thumbs up and down counts, this type of comment could do with a groan count!

  4. Rogue Jedi

    "hints that there are probably thousands of dinosaurs that we still do not know about"

    Based on the current number of reptilian species and the time scales involved, I would be surprised to find that there are not at least hundreds of thousands of Dinosaur species.

    “The study of this specimen has shown that even in dinosaurs like Deinocheirus, an animal that has been known for almost half a century, we can still learn surprising things about their anatomy,” said Currie.

    Having had the arms for almost 50 years, discovering more of the skeleton told them something new. Is this realy a surprise?

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      Re: "hints that there are probably thousands of dinosaurs that we still do not know about"

      Not at all surprising. Keep looking and the darnedest things come up.

      Frankly, I've thought of flogging a book on a dinosaur culture that was similar to ours, but died off and the concrete, steel and even plastics broke down and left the cemeteries dissolved over the millions of years since their passing.

      If anyone wishes to take that notion up, good luck. Do badly, I'll cite this as copyright and institute legal action that leaves you homeless. Do a grand job, I'll be eternally thankful and own you a major favor.

      The favor system has worked out quite well for me and participants of said system.

      I just get a lot vindictive over those who turns a sows ear into a pigs breakfast.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: "hints that there are probably thousands of dinosaurs that we still do not know about"

        "Frankly, I've thought of flogging a book on a dinosaur culture that was similar to ours, but died off and the concrete, steel and even plastics broke down and left the cemeteries dissolved over the millions of years since their passing."

        Been done. Sort of. Harry Harrison beat you to it. Although considering how long we humans have been around and we are already doing genetic engineering, maybe there was a dinosaur civilisation experimenting way back then. They had way longer than we've had so far.

  5. Identity
    Boffin

    A more in-depth look

    can be found/heard here:

    http://www.npr.org/2014/10/22/357622139/bigger-than-a-t-rex-with-a-ducks-bill-huge-arms-and-a-hump

  6. Swarthy
    Joke

    So we have found where the platypus came from. I'm surprised this Dino wasn't discovered in AUS.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I have a question.

    How many cubic centimeters is its brain cavity?

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: I have a question.

      Pierson Puppeteers have their brain in the hump ... wait!

  8. Martin Budden Silver badge

    Given that the "incomplete skeleton" had been severely messed-around with by poachers, can they be sure that all the different bits are really from the same individual? Could the reason for the "ornithomimid-like arms, tyrannosaurid-like legs, Spinosaurus-like vertebral spines, sauropod-like hips, hadrosaur-like duckbill, foot-hooves" actually be that there were bones from parts of several different types of dino all mixed together?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It's happened before, many times

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