Oklahoma State PhD Student Discovers New Dinosaur Species

[Prometheus]

While examining dinosaur fossils for a school project a few years ago, Kyle Atkins-Weltman noticed a few irregularities.

He set out to study bones that were believed to belong to an Anzu wyliei, a birdlike dinosaur known as the “Chicken From Hell.” But the bones he had received from a fossil collector were smaller than expected. He figured they must have come from a young Anzu and sent them to an anatomy professor for further inspection.

When Atkins-Weltman received the results a few months later, he said he felt his “heart skip a beat.” The bones weren’t from an Anzu or any other known dinosaurs; Atkins-Weltman, a master’s student, had discovered a new species.

Last week, Atkins-Weltman, who’s now a PhD student at Oklahoma State University, revealed the discovery of Eoneophron infernalis, a birdlike species that was similar but smaller than the Anzu.

Researchers think that, like Anzu, Eoneophron infernalis had long claws and legs, toothless beaks, feathers across their bodies and short tails. But Eoneophron infernalis stood more than 3 feet tall and weighed around 160 pounds — about 2 feet shorter and 400 pounds lighter than Anzu.

Atkins-Weltman, 28, told The Washington Post he never expected to discover and name a species, especially while in college.

“It took me at least maybe two or three days to really wrap my head around that because it was just so serendipitous,” said Atkins-Weltman, who’s studying anatomy and vertebrate paleontology. “... It started out not with an eureka, but with a ‘Hmm, that’s odd.’”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/01/31/new-dinosaur-species-college-student/