New Delhi, India

What comes to your mind when someone says mighty beast with puny arms? A Tyrannosaurus rex?. Well, the scary beast can now find some solace in the discovery of a new dinosaur species, Koleken inakayali, which could make its arms look relatively stronger in comparison. 

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Tyrannosaurus rex vs Koleken inakayali

As per Science Alert, in an arm wrestle, the newly discovered dinosaur would lose. 

K. inakayali, the recently unearthed abelisaurid dinosaur, shares similarities with the well-known Carnotaurus "meat-eating bull" known for its horns and bumpy skin. Carnotaurus is a fearsome dinosaur that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous period — sometime between 71 million and 69 million years ago.

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However, the newly discovered dinosaur is slightly smaller and lacks the distinctive horns.

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Where was the dinosaur found?

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The Koleken inakayali was found in Patagonia, the southern end of South America.

While the K. inakayali's arm bones weren't found, its proportions suggest it likely had similar-sized arms to Carnotaurus. Both dinosaurs had stiff, immobile elbows and rudimentary wrist joints, making their arms ineffective for grasping objects. These features suggest that their arms would have flopped against their chests as they ran, adding to the mystery of why these dinosaurs evolved such seemingly useless limbs.

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Former rulers of the earth

Abelisaurids, including the T. rex's (which lived in North America and Asia) South American relatives, were once the most abundant dinosaurs on Earth during the Late Cretaceous period. 

The reasons behind their tiny arms remain unclear, with theories ranging from a shift in hunting strategies to evolutionary remnants from their ancestors. Some argue that the arms of T. rex might have been used for slashing or gripping during mating, but the exact purpose remains speculative.

The discovery of K. inakayali adds to the understanding of abelisaurid diversity in Patagonia before the mass extinction event. The study, led by palaeontologist Diego Pol and an international team, was published in the journal Cladistics.

(With inputs from agencies)