“The Sand Dragon” Harenadraco prima is a previously unknown creature that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now the Gobi Desert.
A multinational study recently published in the scientific journal Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology has described a completely new species from the Late Cretaceous, named Harenadraco prima, which means “the first sand dragon” in Latin.
Despite being called “the sand dragon,” this newly identified creature is actually a new species within the family Troodontidae, a group of bird-like theropod dinosaurs.
“The Sand Dragon” Harenadraco prima once roamed the area now known as the Gobi Desert – (Graphic image).
The Troodontidae family existed from the late Jurassic to the late Cretaceous, approximately 161 to 66 million years ago.
Paleontologist Sungjin Lee from Seoul National University (South Korea), the lead author of the study, stated that the specimen that helped identify Harenadraco prima is about 71 to 72 million years old.
He also described this creature as having distinctive features of Troodontidae: large eye sockets, long hind limbs with asymmetrical toe bones, large claws on the second toe, and many bird-like characteristics.
Harenadraco prima is relatively small compared to other species in its family, with a body length of only about 1 meter.
Its incomplete fossilized skeleton was discovered in the Baruungoyot Formation in Ömnögovi Province, Mongolia. Ömnögovi is located in the southern part of the country and is part of the arid Gobi Desert.
According to Sci-News, the Late Cretaceous rock layers in the Gobi Desert are a rich source of various Troodontidae species, especially in the Nemegt and Djadochta formations in the Nemegt Basin of Mongolia, as well as the Wulansuhai formation in Bayan Mandahu, China.
These areas have provided eight other species from this family. Additionally, members of this dinosaur family are also present in North America.
However, this is the first time a Troodontidae species has been found in the Baruungoyot Formation, even though this site has yielded numerous other contemporary animals for paleontologists.
As a result, the newly discovered creature is referred to as “the first sand dragon.”
