Anzu compared to an 1.8 meter tall human. Click to expand.
Anzu is a caenagnathid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the United States of America. It was named in 2014 by Matthew Lamanna. It was found out to be the large caenagnathid from Dakota, and has been nicknamed "the chicken from Hell", due to the fact that it has the same chicken-like appearance as all other caenagnathoid theropods.
Physiology[]
Like its cousin, Oviraptor, Anzu had the generic oviraptorosaur body plan. It had long legs, long, slender arms, a short tail, a short, toothless beak, and a tall, comb-like crest atop its head. Most of its body (excluding most of its legs and all of its beak as well as possibly its crest) would have been covered in long, vaned feathers.
Diet[]
Anzu would have been an omnivore, feeding on leaves, small animals, and possibly eggs. Although its beak was not as heavily constructed as those of its Asian cousins, it would have been constructed in a way similar to them, mainly so the theropod would be able to eat the same food as its relatives did.
Ecology[]
Anzu lived in a swampy environment, so its lifestyle would have been slightly different from those of its desert-dwelling Asian cousins. In this case, its lifestyle would have been that of a fast-running ecological generalist that wasn't limited to an herbivorous or carnivorous lifestyle. Its swift speed would often come in handy, as it would often have to run away from predators like Tyrannosaurus. It had a lot of bird-like traits, and its head crest was used to attract mates, similar to a cassowary (and of course, all other oviraptorosaurs).