'Navajo warrior' dinosaur was a real fighter, with a scar to prove it

According to palaeontologist Steven Jasinski, who led the research, the two-legged Dineobellator notohesperus was a swift, active predator with claws that would have been several inches long. PHOTO: REUTERS
According to palaeontologist Steven Jasinski, who led the research, the two-legged Dineobellator notohesperus was a swift, active predator with claws that would have been several inches long. PHOTO: REUTERS
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Scientists have unearthed fossils of a fearsome feathered dinosaur in north-western New Mexico that was a quick and agile predator which could chase down smaller prey or swarm larger prey in pack attacks 67 million years ago.

And, judging from a telltale scar on one of its menacing sickle-shaped claws, this Cretaceous Period dinosaur also fought with others of its own species.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 28, 2020, with the headline 'Navajo warrior' dinosaur was a real fighter, with a scar to prove it. Subscribe