Montana fossil reveals fruit-eating dinosaur species

Paleontologists have identified a new dinosaur species, Infernogallus jamesi, discovered in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. The fossil, which dates back approximately 66 million years to the Cretaceous period, suggests that some dinosaurs may have specialized in eating fruit.

The specimen, weighing roughly 12 kilograms, possesses a unique skull anatomy featuring a toothless beak similar to that of modern parrots. Researchers used CT scans to reconstruct the fragile skull, revealing jaw muscles adapted for processing fleshy fruit pulp. This finding provides significant insight into how non-avian dinosaurs may have utilized the expansion of flowering plants during the Cretaceous period.