Scientists discovered a new species of dinosaur that lived in the territory of the modern USA about 150 million years ago and was similar in size to a dog. About this informs CNN.
The remains of a new species, named Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, were discovered in Colorado during 2021-2022. Researchers could not classify the found skeleton for a long time, so part of its name – “enigma” – reflects this scientific mystery.
According to current estimates, the dinosaur was about half a meter tall and about one meter long. It was herbivorous and moved on long hind limbs. Scientists assume that the animal could run quickly, escaping from predators.
“These very small plant-eating dinosaurs have been found extremely rarely. In fact, finding an almost complete skeleton, rather than a few bone fragments, is rare. Therefore, these dinosaurs are quite unknown.” – said Paul Barrett, one of the authors of the study.
After a detailed study of the found remains, Barrett and his colleagues determined that this dinosaur had unique anatomical features that set it apart from all previously known species. The researchers paid special attention to the structure of the femur, which was distinguished by an unusual arrangement of muscle attachments.
The closest evolutionary relative of the new species is Yandusaurus hongheenis, a dinosaur about three meters long found in China. This indicates a widespread distribution of such species in the past, Barrett suggests, suggesting that the remains of other representatives simply have not yet been discovered.
The identified specimen has probably not reached its final development — the vertebrae have not yet fully fused. At the same time, due to the preliminary preparation of the fossil before its transfer to the Museum of Natural History, it was not possible to obtain final confirmation of this assumption. The cause of the dinosaur’s death was also not established – there are no signs of injury or disease on the bones.
According to Barrett, new species of dinosaurs are discovered quite regularly – about once a week. However, it is extremely difficult to find the remains of such small representatives. This is due both to the fact that fossil hunters are more likely to pay attention to larger specimens, and to the fact that small skeletons are rarely preserved due to the effects of predators or scavengers.
Photo: cnn.com
