North American Dinosaurs: What Do Fossils Say About Massive Ostrich-Like Dinosaurs?

The incredible fossil finds of two species of ornithomimosaur detail the diversity of North American dinosaurs in Appalachia.

By Sam Walters
Oct 21, 2022 7:20 PMJul 27, 2023 1:11 PM
Deinocheirus, genus of large ornithomimosaur
The Deinocheirus depicted here has sparse feathering, likely on account of its gargantuan size. (Credit: Mark Witton/Creative Commons)

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The North America of the Cretaceous Period approximately 100 to 66 million years ago was a far cry from the North America of today. Not only was the continent split into two separate landmasses, Laramidia in the west and Appalachia in the east; it was also dominated by a variety of dinosaur species, some of which bared a striking resemblance to the modern ostrich.

According to a paper published in PLOS ONE, the analysis of fossils from an ancient formation of rock in northern Mississippi has now revealed two new species of these ostrich-like dinosaurs, one of which was among the largest in the world. The analysis has also advanced scientists' understandings of dinosaur diversity in the Appalachian section of Cretaceous North America.

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