Paleontologists have identified a new species of Dromaeosauride dinosaur of an almost complete and articulated skeleton present in the 2000s in Mongolia.
Reconstruction of the life of Shri predicts. Image credit: Connor Ashbridge / CC by 4.0.
The newly identified dinosaur traveled our planet in the Campanian era of Cretaceous, between 75 and 72 million years.
On the basis of several characteristics derived in its skull, its vertebrae and its skeleton, the species is refers to a group of theropods in the shape of birds called Dromaeosauridae.
Appointed Shri predictsIt is only the second species of his genus; other species, Shri Deviwas described in 2021.
“The Dromaeosauridae are a clade of theropods of small to medium, known to several Cretaceous units of North America, Asia, Europe, South America and ultimately from Antarctica and Madagascar,” said the main author Andrea Cau and his colleagues.
“Pen-to-do integumentary structures, real nased feathers and remains of the digestive card are found in exceptionally preserved dromaeosaurides of the northern Biote Jehol Cretaceous of China (for example Perfumed Daurlong,, Millenii de Sinornithosaurus,, Microraptor Zhaoianus). “”
“In addition to the trodontides, the dromaeosaurides are universally considered to be closest to birds among dinosaurs.”
An almost complete skeleton of Shri predicts was probably found in the formation of Djadokhta from Mongolia.
“This Dromaeosaurid specimen was illegally poached before 2010, then retained in private collections in Japan and England before being acquired by the company Eldonia“Said paleontologists.
“The exact locality of the sample is unknown.”
“Based on the documentation associated with the sample, we temporarily refer it to Ukhaa Tolgod, in Mongolia.”
Holotype of Shri predicts In 2010, before the preparation for the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; The arrow indicates the single femur rebuilt using elements of the two femorals (separate elements during the preparation). Image credit: Moutrille and al., DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148.
Shri predicts had a particular combination of vertebral and pelvic characteristics as well as exceptionally robust hands.
“The most unusual characteristic of Shri predicts is the exceptional robustness of the hand, ”said the researchers.
“In particular, when they are on scale on the same length, all elements of the pollex is around 150% transversely more robust than homologous elements in other Djadokhtan dromaeosaurides and proportionally than any other known dromaeosauride.”
“We suggest that frequent interactions with Ceratopsians, combined with active anti-formatory behavior by the latter, could have favored the evolution of more robust forearms and more shaved hands among certain velociraptorins of Djadokhtan.”
“If we assume that Shri predicts shared the predatory behavior of his close relative Mongolian velociraptorThe most robust proportions of his hands imply that it was better suited to target larger and more robust prey than those generally prey Velociraptor. “”
An article describing the discovery was published online on July 13, 2025 in the journal Historical biology.
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Léa Moutrille and al. A new dinosaur in the shape of a bird from the upper Cretaceous of Mongolia with extremely robust hands supports the partitioning of niche among the Véloiraptorines. Historical biologypublished online on July 13, 2025; DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148
