Synchrotron sheds light on the amphibious lifestyle of a new raptorial dinosaur

A well-preserved dinosaur skeleton from Mongolia unites an unexpected combination of features that defines a new group of semi-aquatic predators related to Velociraptor. Detailed 3-D synchrotron analysis allowed an international team of researchers to present the bizarre 75-million-year-old predator, named Halszkaraptor escuilliei. The study not only describes a new genus and species of bird-like dinosaur that lived in Mongolia but also sheds light on an unexpected amphibious lifestyle for raptorial dinosaurs.