New Dinosaur Species Discovered in Patagonia

June 11, 2024

In Patagonia, Southern America, a new type of dinosaur called Koleken inakayali was just found. This find helps us learn more about the group of dinosaurs called abelisaurids and makes us think of interesting connections with the famous Tyrannosaurus rex.

Tyrannosaurus rex vs Koleken inakayali

Even though it looks scary, the Tyrannosaurus rex is known for having arms that are too short for its body. The newly found K. inakayali has arms that are even smaller than its body, making it look a lot like the T. rex. It’s likely that Koleken inakayali and Carnotaurus, another abelisaurid known for having very small arms, both had similar physical problems that made their arms almost useless for hunting.

Physical Characteristics and Functions

Even though K. inakayali is a little smaller than Carnotaurus, it has the same lack of clear horns and rough skin. Their limited arm movement, along with stiff elbows and simple wrist joints, makes it look like their arms might fall against their chests when they move. It’s still not clear what these short arms are used for, but they may have changed over time because of changes in how animals hunt or because they are leftovers from their ancestors.

Ecological Context and Abelisaurids’ Dominance

Abelisaurids, such as K. inakayali, lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous, which was about 71 million to 69 million years ago. There were a lot of these kinds of dinosaurs before the mass extinction. People still don’t agree on what caused them to evolve the way they did, with ideas ranging from hunting techniques to evolutionary leftovers.

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