First Dinosaur Discovered In Venezuela Is One Of The Oldest
- 10 years ago
New dinosaur species are still being discovered by scientists around the world. The first dinosaur fossils found in the country of Venezuela belong to a newly discovered species, and are reportedly some of the oldest dinosaur remains that have ever been identified by archaeologists.
New dinosaur species are still being discovered by scientists around the world.
The first dinosaur fossils found in the country of Venezuela belong to a newly discovered species, and are reportedly some of the oldest dinosaur remains that have ever been identified by archaeologists.
Researchers working at the La Quinta Formation in Tachira State, Venezuela have found fossils of dinosaurs that they believe to be around 200 million years old.
They named the species Laquintasaura venezuelae, after the location where the fossils were found.
Paul Barrett, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, and lead author of the study, is quoted as saying: "There are many surprising firsts with Laquintasaura. Not only does it expand the distribution of early dinosaurs, its age makes it important for understanding their early evolution and behavior."
Experts think that Laquintasaura lived during the earliest part of the Jurassic period, after a mass extinction event at the end of the Triassic era.
The new species is believed to be an ancestor of the well known three-horned Triceratops dinosaur
Other data from the study shows that the newly discovered species of dinosaur traveled in herds, (1,6,1) eating mostly ferns along with small prey like insects.
The new species is part of a group of bird-hipped dinosaurs, which experts know very little about because of their scarcity in the fossil record.
New dinosaur species are still being discovered by scientists around the world.
The first dinosaur fossils found in the country of Venezuela belong to a newly discovered species, and are reportedly some of the oldest dinosaur remains that have ever been identified by archaeologists.
Researchers working at the La Quinta Formation in Tachira State, Venezuela have found fossils of dinosaurs that they believe to be around 200 million years old.
They named the species Laquintasaura venezuelae, after the location where the fossils were found.
Paul Barrett, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, and lead author of the study, is quoted as saying: "There are many surprising firsts with Laquintasaura. Not only does it expand the distribution of early dinosaurs, its age makes it important for understanding their early evolution and behavior."
Experts think that Laquintasaura lived during the earliest part of the Jurassic period, after a mass extinction event at the end of the Triassic era.
The new species is believed to be an ancestor of the well known three-horned Triceratops dinosaur
Other data from the study shows that the newly discovered species of dinosaur traveled in herds, (1,6,1) eating mostly ferns along with small prey like insects.
The new species is part of a group of bird-hipped dinosaurs, which experts know very little about because of their scarcity in the fossil record.