Newly-recognized species of meat-eating dinosaurs is 157 million year old
Paleontologist at Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument, have recently recognized a new species of meat-eating dinosaurs. A specimen of the 9-meter-long dinosaur was exhibited on January 24 at the museum located in Salt Lake City. The skull and the body of one of the two specimens were found separately in the 90s using radiation detection and pieced together later.
The massive dinosaur that lived on the planet during the Late Jurassic Period, has been named Allosaurus jimmadseni. The name of the species was a tribute to James Madsen Jr., who worked as a state paleontologist. Madsen Jr., who died in 2009, was instrumental in the unearthing and study of scores of bones belonging to allosaurus. Dinosaurs belonging to the Allosauridae family are large-bodied, hollow-boned, bipedal and carnivorous in nature.
A group of researchers who published their findings in the open access journal PeerJ Life & Environment, suggest that the dinosaur was one of the fiercest predators of its time. Retired paleontologist and co-lead author of the study, Daniel Chure, said that “Recognizing a new species of dinosaur in rocks that have been intensely investigated for over 150 years is an outstanding experience of discovery. Allosaurus jimmadseni is a great example of just how much more we have to learn about the world of dinosaurs. Many more exciting fossils await discovery in the Jurassic rocks of the American West.”
The newly-recognized jimmadseni species is the second dinosaur belonging to the genus allosaurus that was discovered in Jurassic North America. The researchers estimate that Allosaurus jimmadseni lived on the Earth approximately 157 million years ago. This is about 5 million years before the other relative, Allosaurus fragilis is expected to have evolved. The discovery of the new species challenged the pre-existing theory of their existing only a sole species of Allosaurus in the region.
Allosauridae family Allosaurus fragilis Allosaurus Jimmadseni Daniel Chure Dinosaur National Monument Dinosaurs Dinosaurs belonging Jimmadseni Late Jurassic Period meat-eating dinosaurs
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