Newly identified sharp-clawed dinosaur species was as big as a school bus

A team of researchers from Universitat Jaume, Universitat de València and Grup Guix, Vila-real, have identified a new species of sharp-clawed dinosaur excavated at a site in Catalonia. They wrote an article describing their discoveries, available on the open access site PLOS One.

The dinosaur was originally found in what has been described as a prehistoric cemetery in Portell, Catalonia, in 1998, but only recently has it been the subject of extensive study.

The dinosaur, which was about eight meters long, was classified in the genus of Styracosternan ornithopods – it was named Portellsaurus sosbaynati. It was also part of a type of iguanodon known as styracosternans, which is said to have lived in present-day Spain. It has been dated to around 130 million years ago.

The identifying fossil was a jawbone. The researchers were able to establish that this was a new species due to two autopomorphic characteristics, as well as what they describe as a combination of characteristics, two of which were the absence of a bulge along a part of the bone and a deep cavity not seen in others of its kind.

The dinosaur has been described as having several sharp claws, some protruding from its “thumbs” and others from its “fingers”. The researchers note that they would have been useful for combating predators, as well as for slicing open fruit. However, they would not have been used to kill prey, as the dinosaur only ate plants. The researchers note that the dinosaur also had very large nostrils, which indicated that it likely had a highly developed sense of smell, likely beneficial for foraging. He also had a very large tail, which would have been carried vertically to maintain balance. In a standing position, the researchers estimate that he would have been a little over three meters tall and that he would have weighed at least 3,600 kilograms.

The researchers note that Portellsaurus sosbaynati was said to have been related to other dinosaurs identified as living in what is now Niger and China. They suggest the discovery sheds new light on the evolution of ornithopods.

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