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Dinosaur Scientists Call It the Chicken From Hell

Hell ChickenIllustration by Mark Klingler/Carnegie Museum of Natural History

What does a 500 pound chicken with five inch claws eat? Whatever it wants!

Matt Lamanna, the top dinosaur scientist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, calls the creature Anzu wyliei. Apparently paleontologists have been trying to figure out what animal a collection of bizarre bones belongs to for the past decade, and know they know.

The latest three specimens were dug up from the Hell Creek geological formation in Montana and the Dakotas, hence the name. What a bird! You can listen to the full story from NPR here.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Gail March 21, 2014, 1:40 pm

    Fascinating! I haven’t read anything on this. Yet! Thanks for the info.

  • Carole M./Australia March 21, 2014, 3:37 pm

    that’s really amazing; thanks for sharing…

  • Maria. F. March 22, 2014, 6:06 am

    I love the illustration and it’s fascinating how with research paleontologists are able to reconstruct the appearance of these prehistoric avian ancestors.

  • Wally March 22, 2014, 7:34 am

    I’m gonna have to travel REALLY far to add this one to my life list! 🙂

    Great article, Larry!