Chirostenotes

Chirostenotes is a genus of oviraptorosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. Fossils attributed to Chirostenotes have been found in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada. The genus was first described in 1924 by Charles Whitney Gilmore, based on fragmentary remains. For many years, Chirostenotes was known only from a few partial skeletons, leading to considerable debate about its precise classification and appearance.

Initially, Chirostenotes was thought to be a dromaeosaurid, a group of predatory dinosaurs that includes Velociraptor. However, later discoveries and re-examination of existing fossils revealed its closer relationship to oviraptorosaurs, a diverse group of bird-like dinosaurs often characterized by their toothless beaks and crests. The name Chirostenotes means "narrow hand," referring to the unusually slender and elongated hand bones preserved in the type specimen.

The most distinctive feature of Chirostenotes, based on what is known, is its relatively small size and its long, narrow forelimbs with sharp claws. Like other oviraptorosaurs, it is believed to have had a beak and likely possessed feathers, though direct fossil evidence of feathers for this specific genus is limited. Its diet is thought to have been omnivorous or possibly herbivorous, as is common among many oviraptorosaurs, though its specific ecological niche remains a subject of ongoing research. The genus is often considered a "wastebasket taxon" due to the fragmented nature of its fossils and the historical difficulty in assigning various remains to it.