Scientists are on the hunt for a new dinosaur species after finding a fossilised tooth in a Siberian cave.
The fossilised bone, discovered by an expedition of Russian scientists, is the earliest known specimen of a species of theropod dinosaur, which was the biggest land animal ever to walk the earth.
“The findings reveal a new group of dinosaurs, one that is much bigger than previously known, with a long neck, broad shoulders, thick neck muscles and a large head,” said a statement from the Siberian Academy of Sciences, Russia’s top science body.
“This group is known as the Late Jurassic group and is also the only one known to have lived in the eastern Siberian basin.”
In contrast, the Late Cretaceous group includes theropods that were extinct in Europe and North America, and was later found in Siberia.””
This new group has been named the Late Mesozoic (about 250 million years ago) group, and its fossils have been found in many caves and in a number of different places.
“Although there are many similarities between the two groups, the Mesozoics are much older, with less fossils.”
There are many important differences, however, and this study shows that we must consider both groups.
“Scientists believe the early Mesozoites were a distinct group of animals that lived in an arid environment, and their fossils date back at least 200 million years.”
One of the largest Mesozoite fossils was found in the Tver region in the Russian Far East.
This species was a member of the Cretozoic group,” the statement said.”
It was one of the earliest animals to live in the region, having lived during the Late Paleozoic, about 150 million years old.””
The other largest fossil, which also has an arched neck and broad shoulders is from the Karyon Fossil Field in the Kara-Tur river valley in northern Russia.
This animal was part of the Early Cretacozoic.””
The new group is one of only two known to live today in the western Siberian basin,” the academy said.
This story was originally published by The Sport Book.
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