Discovering strange new species of toothless two-toed dinosaurs that looked like a giant parrot and lived 68 million years ago in the Gobi Desert

  • Edinburgh researchers named the new species Oksoko avarsan
  • It could reach about 6.5 feet long and wore a feathered and beak
  • Most of its species – whites – have three fingers on the front limbs
  • The first sign of a loss of number in the group, showing O. avarsan has undergone an adaptation

Written by Ian Randall for Mailonline

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Discovered in Mongolia, a strange-looking, toothless dinosaur that has only two fingers and resembles a giant parrot.

Researchers from Edinburgh found multiple and complete skeletons of the new omnivorous species – called Oksoko avarsan – in the Gobi Desert.

O. avarsan – who lived about 68 million years ago – had grown to about 6.5 feet (two meters) in length and wore both feathers and a toothless beak.

The team said remarkably well-preserved fossils provided the first evidence of finger loss in the family of three-toed dinosaurs known as oviraptors.

The fact that a member of the sex can develop adaptations on the forelimbs indicates that the group can change its diet and lifestyles – allowing it to thrive.

Discovered in Mongolia, a strange-looking, toothless dinosaur that has only two fingers and resembles a giant parrot. In the photo, an artist's impression of O. avarsan

Discovered in Mongolia, a strange-looking, toothless dinosaur that has only two fingers and resembles a giant parrot. In the photo, an artist’s impression of O. avarsan

Researchers from Edinburgh found multiple, complete, illustrated skeletons of the new omnivorous species - called Oksoko avarsan - in the Gobi Desert.

Researchers from Edinburgh found multiple, complete, illustrated skeletons of the new omnivorous species – called Oksoko avarsan – in the Gobi Desert.

“Oksoko avarsan is interesting because the skeletons are so complete,” said research author and paleontologist Gregory Funston of the University of Edinburgh.

He added: “The way they were kept resting together shows that the juveniles wandered together in groups.”

“But most importantly, his two-toed hand prompted us to look at the way the hand and the front limb changed during the development of the ovaries – which had not been studied before.”

He added: “This has revealed some unexpected trends that are a major part of the puzzle of why Aviraptor diversified before the extinction event that killed dinosaurs.”

In their study, Dr. Funston and colleagues studied reduced size – and eventual loss – of the third finger of the ovary throughout their evolutionary history.

They found that the creatures’ forelegs changed dramatically, coinciding with migrations to new geographic regions – specifically those now known as North America and the Gobi Desert.

The team said remarkably well-preserved fossils provided the first evidence of finger loss in the family of three-toed dinosaurs known as oviraptors.

The team said remarkably well-preserved fossils provided the first evidence of finger loss in the family of three-toed dinosaurs known as oviraptors.

In their excavations, researchers discovered the fossilized remains of the four Oksukwu Avarsan events that appeared to be resting together.

It is very common for animals to be social when they are young.

The full results of the study have been published in the journal Royal Society for Open Science.

Researchers from Edinburgh found multiple and complete skeletons of the new omnivorous species - called Oksoko avarsan - in the Gobi Desert.

Researchers from Edinburgh found multiple and complete skeletons of the new omnivorous species – called Oksoko avarsan – in the Gobi Desert.

How did dinosaurs extend 66 million years ago

Dinosaurs ruled and dominated Earth some 66 million years ago, before suddenly extinct.

The third Cretaceous Extinction event is the name given to this mass extinction.

For many years it was believed that the changing climate destroyed the food chain for the huge reptiles.

In the 1980s, paleontologists discovered a layer of iridium.

This is a rare element on Earth but found in huge quantities in space.

When this date was dated, it precisely coincided with the disappearance of the dinosaurs from the fossil record.

A decade later, scientists discovered the huge Chicxulub Crater crater at the tip of the Mexican Yucatán Peninsula, dating back to the period in question.

The scientific consensus now says that these two factors are related, and both may have been caused by a massive asteroid colliding with Earth.

With the expected size and velocity of the impact, the collision would have caused a massive shock wave and potentially seismic activity.

The fallout would have created plumes of ash that likely blanketed the entire planet and made the dinosaurs’ survival impossible.

Animals and other plant species had a shorter period of time between generations which allowed them to survive.

There are several other theories as to why the famous animals died.

One early theory was that small mammals eat dinosaur eggs and another suggests that poisonous angiosperms (flowering plants) kill them.