Dinosaur Claws
The fossilized claws of some theropod dinosaurs suggest an evolution away from a carnivorous diet towards a herbivorous one.
Theropods are bipedal dinosaurs that walked on their hind limbs, which freed up their forelimbs for different tasks. Different species evolved a range of large and fearsome claws on their forelimbs. These suggested to many scientists that their chief purpose was grasping and holding prey, in support of a carnivorous diet. This may not have been the case. Dr. Stephan Lautenschlager, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Earth Science at the University of Bristol studied the varied shapes of theropod claws, and found similarities between some of them and modern day mammals that use their claws for tasks other than rending flesh. This suggests that some intimidating-looking theropod claws evolved for more peaceful uses like digging or raking leaves from trees as part of their transition to a herbivorous diet.
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