Researchers in Northeastern China have discovered that a new species of dinosaur that was similar to parrot in size.

The researchers named the species Linhenykus monodactylus after the city of Linhe, near where the skeleton was found

The two-legged dinosaur, dubbed Linhenykus monodactylus, is claimed to be the distant cousin of the Tyrannosaurus.

It had only one claw on each upper limb. It belongs to the theropods, which usually had three fingers on each of upper limb.

Speaking on the topic, Xu Xing from the Chinese Academy of Sciences said, "The middle finger is not as large as other species that still have two small lateral fingers. We don't see this very often in dinosaur evolution."

Researchers believe that the dinosaur used to dig into insect nests with its single finger. It used to eat termites and ants. It was probably around 20 centimeters tall and 500 grams in weight.

The well-preserved fossil, which is believed to be as many as eighty million years old, was unearthed from the rocks located near the border between Mongolia and China.