Bizarre beaked ‘hell chicken’ is the first dinosaur discovered to eat fruit

Like a prehistoric parrot on steroids.

The Cretaceous might seem synonymous with hardcore carnivores and plus-sized plant-eaters.

However, researchers have discovered a new species of dinosaur with mouthparts designed for eating fruit, making it the first-known dino with this particular diet, per the study in the journal Nature.

“We knew dinosaurs evolved to fill so many different roles in ecosystems in the Cretaceous, but we never expected to discover fruit-eating dinosaurs,” said Dr. Gregory Funston, assistant professor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University, Phys.org reported.

They dubbed the primeval melon muncher Infernogallus jamesi, its genus meaning “Hell Chicken” after the Hell Creek Formation where it was exhumed. This fossil-rich formation spans Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

The fructose-loving oviraptor resided in the region some 66 million years ago — when it was a subtropical coastal plain — alongside the likes of Triceratops, the mace-tailed Anklyosuarus and the fearsome T. Rex.

In fact, the 5ft, 25-pound Infernogallus belonged to the theropod group that comprises all meat-eating dinosaurs, including the tyrannosaur, Reuters reported.

However, unlike its meat-eating brethren, this turkey-sized dino preferred fruit, based on the team’s analysis of its mouth.

These adaptations included jaw muscles that powered back-and-forth chewing motions, and ⁠ridges and grooves on its beak to help snip and mash its sweet quarry to separate the seeds from the flesh.

Such features had been observed separately in turtles and parrots, but never in one creature — until now.

“It’s pretty rare for animals to become specialized for a diet of fruit, so when it happens, it comes with some remarkable adaptations,” said study co-author Dr. Thomas Dudgeon of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada.

Most importantly, the discovery provides a missing link between dinosaur diversity and flowering plants, which appeared earlier in the Cretaceous around 130 to 140 million years ago.

They subsequently commandeered environments populated by plants called gymnosperms such as conifers and ginkgoes.

As these fruits became bigger and more common, Infernogallus evolved specialized oral hardware to handle them.

While it’s unclear which specific fruits Infernogallus consumed, researchers speculated they could’ve subsisted on various berries and drupes, a family that includes everything from peaches to olives.

These findings also highlight dinosaurs’ overlooked roles as seed dispersers, which contributed to the evolution of flower plants.

This niche is occupied by reptiles, small mammals, and birds today.

Much like the latter, the “Hell Chicken” likely had feathers as well.

“This definitely expands the range of lifestyles we thought dinosaurs had, and it shows how adaptable theropods were,” said Funston.