A creature previously unrecorded by science has been discovered in the “monster territory” of Patagonia, Argentina.
In images recreated by scientists, the newly named species Emiliasaura alessandrii appears with a colorful body and a reptilian appearance, featuring legs and a gait reminiscent of an ostrich.
The creature Emiliasaura alessandrii in Argentina – (Graphic: Jorge Gonzalez).
According to Sci-News, the new creature was identified from exposed bone fragments found at two different sites in the Patagonia region of Argentina, which is renowned for its fossils of numerous dinosaur species.
The first specimen cluster includes bones of a raven, as well as complete right forelimb and hind limb bones, while the second cluster preserves vertebrae, incomplete pelvic bones, and nearly complete hind limb components.
A large research team from Argentina, Canada, and several European countries collected and analyzed the specimens, confirming this as a previously unrecorded dinosaur species.
Emiliasaura alessandrii is a member of the Iguanodontia sub-group, which is part of the Ornithopoda group of bird-footed dinosaurs.
It lived approximately 138 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period, known as the golden age of dinosaurs.
“The diversity of dinosaurs around the boundary of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods is a unique chapter marked by the emergence of several major lineages,” stated Dr. Rodolfo Coria from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina, the lead author of the study.
However, the record of dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous period is very limited, especially in South America.
Thus, Emiliasaura alessandrii has emerged as a rare treasure for paleontologists, significantly aiding them in completing the picture of the monstrous world of that era.
The study of this unique creature was recently published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research.
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