The Discovery
Palaeontologists examining fossils recovered from Montana and North Dakota have identified a species named Infernogallus jamesi, a name that translates to "hell chicken." Living 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period, this theropod dinosaur inhabited a subtropical coastal floodplain within the Hell Creek Formation, a region it shared with major prehistoric animals such as Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Ankylosaurus.
Infernogallus was roughly 1.5 metres long and weighed about 11.3 kilograms, making it around the size of a turkey. The fossil evidence includes a nearly complete skeleton alongside palate and jaw fragments. Although feather tissue was not preserved on the specimen, scientists infer it possessed a feathered coat based on preserved traits in closely related species.
What Scientists Found
An examination of the dinosaur's toothless, parrot-like beak shows distinct adaptations for eating soft vegetation and fruits, including drupes and berries. While many plant-eating theropods ingested stones to crush plant material inside their digestive systems, Infernogallus processed its food by chewing.
Researchers identified three key physical traits that supported its fruit-heavy diet:
- Jaw muscles positioned to execute back-and-forth chewing movements.
- A moveable joint that allowed the jaw to slide forward.
- A system of grooves along the beak designed to slice and mash soft plants.
Why It Matters
While experts had long conjectured that certain dinosaurs consumed fruit, Infernogallus provides the first physical evidence confirming it. The expansion of flowering plants between 130 and 140 million years ago introduced a novel food supply, and the evolutionary shift from teeth to a beak expanded the dietary options available to theropods.
Additionally, the discovery highlights the ecological role of larger fruit-eaters. Because birds and mammals of the Cretaceous period were quite small, species like Infernogallus were likely responsible for carrying and dispersing larger plant seeds across broader distances within their habitats.
Source: dinosaur fossil discovery - BingNews · Published October 31, 2026 · Photo by Guillermo Nolasco on Unsplash
