Curious discoveries · Published 1 November 2026

This week’s dinosaur surprise: a fruit eater with an unusual bite

Researchers have named a small bird-like dinosaur whose skull points to a specialised fruit diet.

Stony Brook University reported on 28 October that researchers had identified Infernogallus jamesi, a small, toothless dinosaur from the Hell Creek Formation. Its fossils include a nearly complete skull and part of a skeleton; the animal was roughly turkey-sized.

CT scans showed an unusual arrangement of palate bones and chewing muscles. The team interprets this as an adaptation for processing soft fruit, and suggests such dinosaurs might have helped spread seeds. That ecological role is a scientific possibility, not a directly observed behaviour.

Our archive photograph shows a museum display of Oviraptor, a different member of the wider group. It is not the newly named species. For a curious child, compare our existing dinosaur mug designs as independent gifts, not museum or university merchandise.

Source: Stony Brook University, published 28 October 2026. Our perspective and gift suggestions are separate from the source reporting.