The National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina (Conicet) announced on June 24 that scientists in the country have discovered the fossil of a new carnivorous dinosaur that lived approximately 83 million years ago at an archaeological site in the south.
A carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Argentina that lived about 83 million years ago. (Source: Conicet)
This new dinosaur species has been named Diuqin lechiguanae. According to Conicet, “Diuqin” is derived from a term in the native South American Mapuche language, meaning “bird of prey.”
Meanwhile, the term “lechiguanae” is taken from the name of Lechiguana, a witch in the 1975 film Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf. In essence, the name of this new dinosaur species means “Lechiguana bird of prey.”
On its official website, Conicet describes “Diuqin lechiguanae” as belonging to the theropod group of bipedal dinosaurs that lived from the late Jurassic to the Cretaceous period.
More specifically, the new species has been classified into the unenlagine group—theropod dinosaurs that are closely related to the ancestors of modern birds.
This is the first time scientists have discovered a fossil of an unenlagine species dating back 83 million years.
Paleontologist Federico Gianechini noted that the fossil of “Diuqin lechiguanae” indicates that this dinosaur stood about 2 meters tall.
After conducting 3D scans of the fossilized bone fragments, scientists determined that the dinosaur met its demise from bites inflicted by another predator and possibly even by a fellow member of its species. This suggests the possibility that “Diuqin lechiguanae” may have engaged in cannibalistic behavior.
