Updated:
-
OfFranziska Vystrcil
shut down
Researchers have made a sensational discovery in Patagonia. They found a new giant predatory dinosaur species: Meraxes gigas.
Ushuaia – A gigantic skull, razor-sharp teeth and a body eleven meters long: researchers have discovered a new species of giant predatory dinosaurs in Patagonia. At first glance, the Meraxes Gigas looks very similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, researchers already know that the two dinosaurs are unrelated. Because the Meraxes Gigas lived around 20 million years before the T-Rex.
However, archaeologists are concerned about one thing the giants have in common: Why do both species have such short forearms? The researchers have developed a theory as to what the stubby arms of the predatory dinosaurs could have been good for.
Researchers discover skeleton of Meraxes gigas – ‘never-before-seen parts like arms and legs’ preserved
In a rock formation from around 90 million years ago, Juan Canale, study author and paleontologist at the Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum in Neuquén in Argentina, and his team discovered a previously unknown representative of the so-called carcharodontosaurids. They christened him Meraxes Gigas – “Meraxes” after a dragon from the fantasy book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George RR Martin and “gigas” because of his gigantic size. Again and again scientists come across previously unknown species: A Researcher from Stuttgart discovered remains of a new fish dinosaur.
What is special about the find: the Meraxes gigas is the first highly developed carcharodontosaur from which the front limbs have been preserved. Never before have researchers made such a find. A discovery in Chile was similarly spectacular: Researchers unearthed a fossil of a pregnant dinosaur. No less impressive is the Meraxes Gigas. “The fossil of Meraxes Gigas shows us never-before-seen parts of the skeleton, like the arms and legs,” Juan Canale explains loudly scinexx.de.
With its long and muscular legs, the Meraxes gigas was the perfect hunter, according to the researchers. Thanks to them, he was able to hunt and kill larger and faster prey himself. But why had the front limbs of the dinosaur continued to recede over the course of time? Researchers have been asking this question about the Tyrannosaurus Rex for ages. Were the arms simply no longer needed and were that why they were so short? Did they serve to hold the female during reproduction? Researchers have a theory thanks to Meraxus Gigas.
Stump Arms Mystery: “They May Have Used Arms in Reproduction”
There have been many ideas as to what purpose the stub arms might have really served. The Argentine research group that discovered the Meraxes gigas in northern Patagonia also got to the bottom of the question. First off, the researchers determined that Tyrannosaurus Rex and Meraxes Gigas weren’t related. Because the two dinosaurs come from completely different evolutionary branches of the dinosaur species. An important finding for the researchers, because they were able to rule out that the development of the Meraxes Gigas had an impact on the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Juan Canale assumes that the short arms in the case of Meraxes Gigas were not too small without reason. Rather, he believes they may have given the predator a survival advantage. Based on the found skeleton, the researchers determined that large muscle attachments and fully developed pectoral girdles were present. Therefore, one can assume that the arms were very muscular, the researcher explains further. So they must have had a very specific use.
Also interesting: According to Juan Canale, skull and arm size are related. The larger the skull of the predatory dinosaurs, the smaller the arms were, since, unlike the skull, they were not used for hunting. Rather, he assumes that the front limbs played a major role in mating. “They could have used their arms during reproduction, for example to hold the female during mating or to stand up again after a fracture or fall,” speculates the scientist. Researchers from Mexico, meanwhile, have that Mystery of dinosaur extinction solved.
Eleven meters long and weighing over four tons: Meraxes Gigas was a giant
Thanks to the very well-preserved skeleton, the researchers were able to find out even more about the Meraxes Gigas. The animal found was 45 years old, about eleven meters long and weighed more than four tons, according to the paleontologists. In addition, Juan Canale and his team found that the dinosaur appeared in great diversity. Shortly before its extinction, the giant may have reached the peak of its diversity. From the furrows, crests, horns and bumps discovered on the skull, the researchers conclude that these served to attract the partner.
In addition, these decorations only appeared in adult specimens. According to Juan Canale, these traits could have evolved and evolved over the course of evolution. “Sexual selection is a powerful evolutionary force,” he explains. However, the researchers are not 100 percent sure about their theories. It remains unclear what specific purpose the stub arms of Meraxes Gigas and Tyrannosaurus Rex served.
#Newly #discovered #dinosaur #researchers #clues #TRex #short #arms