News by Levels · Level 3 · Student worksheet

Infernogallus Skull Offers Clues to a Fruit-Eating Dinosaur

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

The skull of a turkey-sized dinosaur called Infernogallus jamesi may reveal an unusual adaptation for feeding on fruit. The toothless animal lived around 66 million years ago, and its fossils were found in the Hell Creek Formation in the United States.

Researchers used the shape of the skull to reconstruct how its jaw muscles could have worked. They propose that a back-and-forth chewing movement helped it process soft food, drawing comparisons with some fruit-eating birds.

The diet is an interpretation of anatomy rather than a directly observed meal. The team published the study in Nature Communications on October 10; Stony Brook University highlighted it on October 28, followed by Reuters coverage on October 30.

Source: Stony Brook University, 2026-10-28. https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/stony-brook-paleontologist-dinosaur-discovery-reveals-a-specialized-fruit-eater/

Read and practise

1. Which description fits Infernogallus in the article?

   1. A toothless dinosaur about the size of a turkey
   2. A toothless dinosaur about the size of an ostrich
   3. A turkey-sized dinosaur with large pointed teeth

2. How did researchers investigate its possible chewing movement?

   1. They analysed a preserved meal in its stomach
   2. They compared only its footprints with those of modern birds
   3. They used the skull’s shape to reconstruct possible jaw muscle action

3. How certain is the suggested fruit diet from the evidence described?

   1. A preserved fruit meal was found inside its skeleton
   2. It is an interpretation of anatomy, not a directly observed meal
   3. A fossilised fruit seed was found between its jaws

Your turn

Explain how the skull informed the proposed feeding style and what limits the conclusion about the dinosaur’s diet.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/infernogallus-hell-chicken-fruit-dinosaur-study-october-2026/level-3/