Discovery of the first known fruit-eating dinosaur

Scientists in the United States have identified a new dinosaur species, named Infernogallus jamesi, which is believed to be the first known fruit-eating, or frugivorous, dinosaur. The fossils were discovered in the Hell Creek Formation, a geological area spanning Montana, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota. This creature lived approximately 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, residing in a subtropical coastal floodplain ecosystem.

The animal, roughly the size of a modern turkey, possessed a parrot-like head and lacked teeth, featuring a beak and jaw structure specifically adapted for consuming soft food items like fruits and vegetation. The name Infernogallus translates to "hell chicken" because of its avian-like appearance and its discovery in the Hell Creek formation. Researchers note that this finding provides significant new insights into the dietary evolution and diversity of prehistoric species during the final stages of the dinosaur era.

By occupying a specialized ecological niche, the species existed alongside some of the world's most famous dinosaurs. The discovery of these fossils in Montana and North Dakota expands scientific understanding of the dietary habits of ancient fauna, which were previously thought to lack fruit-eating species.