Talenkauen

Talenkauen had smooth, oval plates along its ribcage. These plates were very thin, only about 3 millimeters thick, and may have helped with breathing, like similar structures in birds.1

Unlike many other plant-eating dinosaurs, Talenkauen still had teeth in the front of its beak and a first toe. More advanced relatives lost these features.1

A tiny baby Talenkauen was found with an adult. The baby had already hatched and eaten food, because its teeth showed wear. This is one of the few baby ornithopod fossils found in the southern hemisphere.1

Talenkauen lived alongside giant dinosaurs like Dreadnoughtus and Puertasaurus, which were huge long-necked plant-eaters, and the predator Orkoraptor.1

The plates on Talenkauen's ribs were too thin and small to be useful for defense, so scientists think they had another job, like helping the dinosaur breathe.1