New dinosaur discovered in Patagonia
CUHK palaeontologists discover a new carnivorous dinosaur species in Patagonia.
A rare discovery by CUHK palaeontologists in Patagonia, South America, has unearthed a new species of carnivorous dinosaur. The prehistoric creature, named Koleken inakayali in the language of the local Tehuelche people, is the first of its kind to be discovered in the 69-million-year-old La Colonia Formation since 1985.
Koleken inakayali belongs to the abelisaurid group, a unique family of dinosaurs that were once the dominant predators of the southern hemisphere. The most famous abelisaurid is the iconic horned Carnotaurus, discovered almost 40 years ago and featured in the film Jurassic World and the documentary Prehistoric Planet.
Extending a prehistoric family tree
Led by Prof. Michael Pittman of CUHK’s School of Life Sciences, and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Diego Pol, the research team initially believed it had found a new Carnotaurus specimen. However, further study revealed it to be a new, smaller, hornless species. This new species is known from a partial fossil skeleton that includes several skull bones, a nearly complete series of backbones, a complete hip, several tail bones, and almost complete legs.
The discovery of Koleken inakayali is the first of an abelisaurid species in La Colonia since Carnotaurus, highlighting the region’s rich paleontological history. The team’s exploration efforts in the La Colonia Formation have revealed significant findings that challenge previous assumptions about the Late Cretaceous period. In particular, the results shed valuable light on how the bodies of abelisaurids diversified over time, as well as showing that multiple abelisaurid species coexisted in the same habitats during the Late Cretaceous, indicating greater diversity than previously thought.
These findings have allowed the team to update the family tree for abelisaurids and their close relatives, the noasaurids. Dr. Pol explains, ‘We found that the closest relatives of abelisaurids—the noasaurids—had a high rate of vertebral and hindlimb evolution during the Jurassic period, whereas the abelisaurids themselves developed high rates of skull evolution at the same time and into the Early Cretaceous.’
Further discoveries likely
The team’s findings, published as the cover article of a special issue of the journal Cladistics, provide new insights into the evolutionary processes that shaped these dinosaurs. The high rate of skull evolution in abelisaurids, featuring lightly built skulls and broad teeth, likely played a crucial role in their success as apex predators in the southern hemisphere.
Prof. Michael Pittman (middle), his postdoctoral researcher Dr. Mattia Baiano (right) and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Diego Pol (left) look forward to discovering new dinosaur species in the future.
The team continues to explore the La Colonia Formation, with annual expeditions to uncover more specimens of Koleken, Carnotaurus, and other dinosaur species. ‘We have found other new dinosaur species that we can’t wait to share in the future,’ says Prof. Pittman. ‘At present there are no Late Cretaceous habitats, including La Colonia, that had more than two abelisaurid species. This seems to be telling us something about how these top predators divided things up. Even if we don’t find anymore new abelisaurid species, finding more specimens of Koleken and Carnotaurus will help us to better understand how they interacted with each other and with other animals.’
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