Artist concept of the new raptor species with its huge claws on the forearms

Artist concept of the new raptor species with its huge claws on the forearms
Photo Credit: Jan Sovak- U Alberta

Canadian and Argentine researchers find new dinosaur

One of the world’s leading vertebrate paleontologists, Canadian Philp Currie, has co-discovered another important dinosaur fossil.

It’s a new species of theropod dinosaur related to the long snouted Megaraptor family.

The University of Alberta professor and Canada Research Chair in Paleobiology was working in Argentina with that country’s Rodolfo Coria from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas.

Professors Corria and Currie gently clearing the fossils from the surronding rock
Professors Corria and Currie gently clearing the fossils from the surronding rock © Corria-Currie

“This is a super-cool specimen from a very enigmatic family of big dinosaurs,” said Currie in a University of Alberta news release, adding,

Various views of a maxillary (upper jaw) tooth ABC,  and another maxillary D with close-up showing serated edge helping to cut through flesh.
Various views of a fearsome maxillary (upper jaw) tooth ABC, and another maxillary D with close-up showing serrated edge helping to cut through flesh. © Currie et al- U Alberta

“Because we have most of the skeleton in a single entity, it really helps consolidate their relationships to other animals”.

What they found was a fairly complete skeleton of a ‘theropad’  in Sierra Barrosa, near the town of Plaza Huincul.

The new species has been named Murusraptor barrosaensis after the area where it was found.

Graphic showing the fossil parts recovered
Graphic showing the fossil parts recovered © Currie et al, U Alberta

Currie said the location on a cliff face made excavation difficult, but the payoff was worth it. In a University of Alberta press release he said, “It was very evident that it was a beautifully preserved specimen of pure white in red rock. The hips were really interesting because they are pneumatic, clearly air-filled, not the kind of thing you expect to see in a big theropod.”

Professors Currie and Corria on the cliff face near Sierra Barrosa where the fossil was found originally in 2000.
Professors Currie and Corria on the cliff face near Sierra Barrosa where the fossil was found originally in 2000. © Corria-Currie

Currie estimates the animal was about eight metres long, but had not reached adulthood and was still growing. Initially they they thought the to be the “big can-opener” foot claw of dromaeosaur or raptor, turned out instead to be big hand claws.

A New Megaraptoran Dinosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda, Megaraptoridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia” was published July 20 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE

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