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Post by Feologild Oakes on Jul 8, 2022 7:13:52 GMT
New dinosaur species discovered that had tiny arms like T. rex
(CNN)Paleontologists in Argentina have discovered a new species of dinosaur, with disproportionately short arms like those of Tyrannosaurus rex. A fossil of Meraxes gigas, as the new dinosaur has been called, was found in what is now the northern Patagonia region of Argentina, revealing that the creature was 11 meters (36 feet) long and weighed more than four tons, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday. At the time the area would have been hot and humid with lots of waterways and vegetation including large trees, Juan Canale, the project lead at Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum in Neuquén, Argentina, told CNN. The carnivore is from the Carcharodontosauridae group of dinosaurs, which lived in the Cretaceous period, 145 to 66 million years ago, according to the study. A raft of Carcharodontosauridae fossils have been found in the past 30 years, but little was known about their skull, forearms or feet. That has changed with the discovery of M. gigas, thanks to the remarkably complete fossil. "For the first time we know, in a lot of detail, about certain parts of the anatomy of these giant carnivorous dinosaurs," Canale said. Researchers found an almost complete forelimb, which allowed them to conclude that M. gigas had tiny arms for such a large dinosaur, a physical feature shared with T. rex that has long puzzled paleontologists. They also found an almost complete skull and foot, allowing them to shed light on how this group of dinosaurs evolved, said Canale, explaining that there was a trend towards larger body sizes, larger skulls and smaller arms in proportion to the body. rest of the article edition.cnn.com/2022/07/07/world/meraxes-gigas-dinosaur-argentina-scli-scn-intl/index.html
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Post by Sarge on Jul 8, 2022 20:39:40 GMT
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Post by politicidal on Jul 10, 2022 23:31:08 GMT
The species name, Meraxes gigas, was named after a dragon in the "Song of Ice and Fire" book series that inspired the TV show, "Game of Thrones."
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