Magnificent Predator Dinosaur Had Little Use of Its Arms

A new study of fossils belonging to Majungasaurus crenatissimus, a magnificent predator that lived between 70 and 65.5 million years ago, suggests that the creature had little use of its forelimbs. Its arms were merely a decoration, as they were too short and stubby to be of any real use.

The findings also suggest that the dinosaur did not hold on to its prey while devouring it, like other, smaller species of predators did at the time. But the predator was 21 feet (6.4 meters) long, and ruled incontestably over an area of land that is now Madagascar about 66 million years ago.

The research, conducted by Brook University graduate student Sara Burch, revealed that the creature's arms were only a foot (0.3 meters) long, and therefore useless when it came to grappling or holding down prey as it struggled, LiveScience reports.

“When you get to the lower arm and the hand, it's really weird. The lower arm is very short but thick, and the bones are pretty robust. So it's not necessarily a thin, wimpy arm, it's just very, very short,” Burch explains.