"We know very little about the dinosaurs of Mexico, and this find increases immeasurably our knowledge of the dinosaurs living in Mexico during the Late Cretaceous," says Loewen. While exploring the region, the palaeontologists noticed large fossil deposits with jumbled dinosaur skeletons, suggesting that mass death events occurred at the site, possibly due to hurricanes and other storms that occur there today. They also found another horned dinosaur and the remains of carnivores, including large tyrannosaurs that were smaller, older relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex, and more diminutive Velociraptor-like predators armed with sickle-claws on their feet. Two were duck-bills, and one of those has already been named Velafrons coahuilensis. In addition to this dinosaur, the researchers found the remains of possibly five or more other new dinosaur species. Loewen says that "based on the position and orientation of the horns, it might have engaged in 'horn locking' as seen in some modern three-horned chameleons". Rhino horns are made of soft tissue, while Coahuilaceratops horns had a bony core surrounded by soft tissue, similar to the horns of modern sheep, goats and cattle. Different from rhino hornsĪlthough the dinosaur looked somewhat like a rhino, the horns were very different. When the dinosaur was alive 72 million years ago the region was a humid estuary with lush vegetation.īased on the dinosaur's remains, the researchers believe that it was rhinoceros-sized - about 6.7 metres long as an adult, 1.8 to 2.1 metres tall at the shoulder and hips, and with a 1.8-metre-long skull.īoth males and females of the four-legged, plant-eating dinosaur had the massive horns, which were probably used to attract mates and to fight with rivals of the same species. He and colleagues recovered the new ceratopsid (horned) dinosaur in arid, desert terrain within the Mexican state of Coahuila. "The large horns certainly would have been heavy to haul around, but we know from related animals that horned dinosaurs had very large neck muscles to take care of this problem," says Loewen. In addition to the two enormous horns above each eye, the hefty herbivore also had an unusual, rounded nose horn not seen before on any other dinosaur. The name of the new species, Coahuilaceratops magnacuerna, translates in part to "great horned horny face," and the dinosaur lives up to its description. Desert dig uncovers 'weird' fossil kangaroos, Science Online, Ī newly discovered 4.5-tonne dinosaur has the largest horns ever found on a dinosaur, with a set that were 1.2 metres long each, according to palaeontologists.Ī team led by Mark Loewen at the Utah Museum of Natural History announce the new species unearthed in Mexico, in the book New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs to be released this week by Indiana University Press.Dinosaur died with a mate by its side, Science Online,.Why haven't there been many big dinosaurs found in Australia?, Science Online,.Meet Therizinosaurus: Jurassic Park’s Newest Nightmare (min-width: 481px)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |