Jakarta –
The bone remains dinosaur 71-million-year-old carnivore found in Mongolia This dinosaur was similar to modern birds in that it had two legs, according to paleontologists through findings published in the journal Communication Biology.
However, the researchers ensure that they are not avian species. It’s just that its body is specifically designed for swimming and finding prey.
Researchers argue that the dinosaur is evidence of an example of convergent evolution, a phenomenon in which unrelated creatures share similar traits. gizmode.
Have many teeth
The new dinosaur has been named Natovenator polydontus which means hunter, swimmer with many teeth.
“Finding semi-aquatic dinosaurs means very high ecological diversity in dinosaurs,” said Yuong-Nam Lee, a paleontologist at Seoul National University and lead author of the study.
In addition to having many teeth, Natovenator is also thin and has a long neck. From the buttocks up, shape dinosaur this looks like a swan with a long tail.
When found, the dinosaur’s skeleton was incomplete. The researchers found only the skull, spine, front legs and some hind legs. The animal morphology can be deduced from the remains found.
His ribs like a diving bird
“The angle between each rib and the associated joint vertebra is very shallow, like many diving birds, but in contrast to terrestrial theropods,” Lee explains.
According to him, some extant diving birds also have similar ribs. This ribbed shape allows the animal to swim with a slimmer body.
Researchers hope to find the stomach contents of dinosaur recently to be able to do research more related to food. More fossils need to be found to better test ideas.
Watch a video “Small dinosaur skeleton for sale, 1.3 meters high“
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