Palaeontology

10m-long 'megaraptor' unearthed in Patagonia

By T.K. Randall
May 13, 2020 ·  8 comments

The fossils included vertebrae and ribs. Image Credit: Emanuel Pujol / CTyS-UNLaM The gargantuan carnivore, which was found at a site southwest of the province of Santa Cruz, was unearthed by a team from the Bernardino Rivadavia Museum of Natural Science.

"We have found a very large specimen of a new megaraptorid, which were formidable carnivorous dinosaurs, because they had a set of adaptations for hunting that was amazing," said PhD student Mauro Aranciaga Rolando.

"Unlike the Tyrannosaurus rex, the megaraptors were fast animals, more prepared for running to high speeds, with long tails that allowed them to maintain balance, at the same time that they had powerful and long legs that were able to take long steps."The group of dinosaurs known as megaraptors were first identified in 1996 and were thought to have thrived during the Cretaceous period up until the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.

They were fast, large and particularly lethal.

"The main weapons of the megaraptors were their arms, because they were extremely long and powerful, ending in a had scythe-like claw on their thumbs, which has a sharp edge and reached 40 centimeters in length," said Aranciaga.

"That's why we think that this animal has conferred deep hurts against its preys."

Source: ctys.com.ar | Comments (8)

Tags: Dinosaur, Megaraptor