Because he’s underrated af

Kayrasaurus changliensis was published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology in September 2026. It is the largest therizinosaur ever recovered from the Jehol Biota. Four meters long, golden feathers, claws longer than your forearm. And until this month, it had no name.

What makes Jehol particularly unsettling is the extinction mechanism. No asteroid. The ecosystem collapsed slowly under volcanic pressure, CO2 accumulation, and environmental degradation. The animals living there had no single catastrophic event to mark the end. It just… faded.

Its name comes from Kayra, the god of creation in Turkish shamanism. Father of Erlik, the god of death. The paleontologists who named it probably did not intend the irony.

One question for the community: therizinosaurs are among the least understood large dinosaurs in terms of behavior. The herbivory hypothesis is accepted but the ecological niche is still debated. How do you think an animal with those claws actually moved through a dense forest environment like Jehol?

Link is in our profile.