De legendariske Jurassic Park-film gjorde dinosaurer til Hollywood-stjerner.

Her kunne man blandt andet opleve den frygtindgydende Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Mindre skræmmende er den store dinosaurus uprofessionelle små arme.

Sammen med nye arkæologiske fund har forskere spurgt sig selv, hvad årsagen til dette er.

Nogle forskere mener, at det er fordi, længere arme ville stå i vejen, når den kæmpede om maden med andre artsfæller.

Nu har et hold forskere i Argentina en ny hypotese, skriver BBC.

Det kommer efter, at de har fundet skelettet af en ny gigantiske dinosaur.

Også den har ligesom T-rex et stort hoved og små arme.

Denne ukendte art – Meraxes gigas – skulle være omkring 11 meter lang med 1.2 meter stort hoved. Til gengæld var armene kun det halve og derfor lige lidt over en halv meter.

This image courtesy of the University of Minnesota shows the transportion a plaster jacket a new dinosaur Meraxes gigas, in Las Campanas Canyon, 25kms southwest of Villa El Chocon, Neuquen Province, Argentina, on March 17, 2014 - Paleontologists said on July 7, 2022, they had discovered a new giant carnivorous dinosaur species named Meraxes gigas that had a massive head and tiny arms, just like Tyrannosaurus rex. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Current Biology, suggest that small forelimbs were no evolutionary accident, but rather gave apex predators of the time certain survival advantages. Meraxes - - named after a fictional dragon in the Game of Thrones book series - - was dug up over the course of four years during field expeditions in the northern Patagonia region of Argentina, starting with the skull which was found in 2012. (Photo by Sebastian Apesteguia / University of Minnesota / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Sebastian Apesteguia / University of Minnesota" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Issam AHMED, "New giant dinosaur predator discovered with tiny arms like T. rex"
This image courtesy of the University of Minnesota shows the transportion a plaster jacket a new dinosaur Meraxes gigas, in Las Campanas Canyon, 25kms southwest of Villa El Chocon, Neuquen Province, Argentina, on March 17, 2014 - Paleontologists said on July 7, 2022, they had discovered a new giant carnivorous dinosaur species named Meraxes gigas that had a massive head and tiny arms, just like Tyrannosaurus rex. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Current Biology, suggest that small forelimbs were no evolutionary accident, but rather gave apex predators of the time certain survival advantages. Meraxes - - named after a fictional dragon in the Game of Thrones book series - - was dug up over the course of four years during field expeditions in the northern Patagonia region of Argentina, starting with the skull which was found in 2012. (Photo by Sebastian Apesteguia / University of Minnesota / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Sebastian Apesteguia / University of Minnesota" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Issam AHMED, "New giant dinosaur predator discovered with tiny arms like T. rex" Foto: SEBASTIAN APESTEGUIA
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Forskerne mener, at denne dinosaur havde små arme af gode grunde.

»Jeg er overbevist om, at disse uprofessionelle små arme havde en funktion. Skelettet viser store muskler, som gjorde armen stærk,« lyder det fra Juan Canale, som er hovedforfatteren på den videnskabelige artikel.

»De kan have brugt armene til reproduktiv adfærd såsom at holde hunnen fast under parring eller for at hjælpe dem op, hvis de faldt ned,« tilføjer han.

Forskerne mener, at samme forklaring også gør sig gældende for den mere kendte Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Den store dinosaur menes at have gået på kloden med sine små arme for omkring 90-100 millioner år siden.