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Descubren en España al dinosaurio ornitópodo más pequeño del mundo (FOTOS)
Un diminuto ornitópodo de 125 millones de años de antigüedad, con medio metro de longitud, es el dinosaurio más pequeño del mundo, una nueva especie que se ha hallado en los yacimientos paleontológicos de la Sierra de la Demanda (Burgos), en el norte español, y que además se perfila como el eslabón primitivo en la evolución de los rhabdodóntidos.
TL;DR
- A new dinosaur species, Foskeia pelndonum, the smallest known in the world, has been found in Sierra de la Demanda, Burgos, Spain.
- This species lived 125 million years ago and is considered a primitive link in the evolution of rhabdodontids.
- Foskeia pelndonum had a body length of 50-60 cm, a height of about 30 cm, and a skull of 5.5 cm.
- The discovery, based on approximately 350 bones from six individuals, challenges previous assumptions about rhabdodontid size evolution.
- The dinosaur had a broad posterior skull, a developed jaw for chewing, reduced front teeth, and larger posterior teeth for processing tough vegetation.
- Unique femoral characteristics suggest a change in gait from bipedal to quadrupedal during its life.
- This finding, published in Paper in Paleontology, was led by Paul-Émile Dieudonné and involved an international research team.