New species of semi-aquatic dinosaurs discovered

With its long neck and slender body, researchers believe Natovenator polydontus must have swum and dived, like modern penguins.

This is a very unique dinosaur. A very complete fossil of a small theropod about 70 million years old, discovered in 2008 in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, has just been identified as a new species. A recent study published in the journal explains it Communication biology. baptized Natovenator polydontusThe animal – whose skull, vertebrae, part of the ribs and three of the four limbs examined by paleontologists – has an anatomy very specific to dinosaurs of the Upper Cretaceous.

Small in size, it looks like a swan, but also a penguin! It has a very long neck, but also a tapered body. Unlike terrestrial theropods, their dorsal ribs did not curve horizontally, but aligned with their tails like today’s diving birds. This dinosaur therefore, according to the authors of the new study, it seems suitable for underwater swimming. On the other hand, judging by the short and flat front legs, it seems that the animal can neither fly nor float. Finally, as regards its diet, its scalloped jaws leave little room for doubt: it was a formidable carnivorous predator that presumably preyed on both fish and insects.

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