#mexidracon

Results from this small #paleostream!

Mexidracon longimanus was an ornithomimid dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous, about 72 million years ago, in what is now northern Mexico.

It was a fairly small ornithomimid at around 2.5-3m long (~8-10'), and its leg proportions suggest it was less specialized for fast running than some of its other relatives. But its most unique feature was its hands, with extremely elongated metacarpal bones – giving it palms that were longer than its upper arm!

It's unclear what the function of these unusual limbs was. Possibly they gave Mexidracon extra reach to hook its claws onto foliage and pull it within reach of its head, in a similar manner to ground sloths, chalicotheres, and therizinosaurs.

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I started this long ago but only recently finished it... I had to draw fan art of the new dinosaur!