Paleontologists discover rare new species of two-clawed dinosaur

A team of paleontologists has identified a rare new species of dinosaur with large claws, marking a significant discovery, the Calgary Herald reported Tuesday.

A fossil of the dinosaur, named Duonychus tsogtbaatari, which means “two fingers,” was uncovered during the construction of a water pipeline in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, the report said.

The fossilized remains included a fully preserved 30-centimeter (11.8-inch) claw, an unusual find that provides new insights into the species' anatomy.

Darla Zelenitsky, an associate professor at the University of Calgary in Canada, said Duonychus belonged to the therizinosaur family, a group of plant-eating dinosaurs known for their strange appearance.

Duonychus is unusual because it had only two fingers on each hand – unlike other therizinosaurs, which typically have three.

“They call them the sloths of the Cretaceous period—totally bizarre looking things,” said Zelenitsky, the Calgary Herald reported. “They had rotund bodies, long necks, small heads and unusually long arms with big hands.”

While this is the only specimen found so far, researchers believe the species may have lived in both Asia and North America.