Scientists in Switzerland discover a new species of dinosaur



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According to new research from the University of Zurich, the dinosaur – a carnivorous predator about 8 meters long – belongs to a genus and species never before seen.

Paleontologists have named the new dinosaur Notatesseraeraptor frickensis, a reference to the town of Frick, Switzerland, where the skeleton was dug up in 2006. But it's only this week that the results of a phylogenetic analysis (as a map of the evolutionary dino tree)) were published, revealing that his traits were unique.

"We realized that it was something important," Marion Zahner, the author of the study, told CNN, adding that the skull had d & # 39; First informed of the unique characteristics of the dinosaur. "The skull is very interesting from the point of view of evolution."

This species is also the first theropod, a group of flesh-eating dinosaurs that walk on two hind legs of support (imagine a T. Rex with stout legs and stocky arms), found in Switzerland.

"Frick is very famous for dinosaur bones," said Zahner, PhD candidate at the University of Zurich. "They have been digging for about 30 years, but most of the time they only find the bones of the Plateosaurus."

According to the research paper, the dug up skeleton "includes an almost complete skull, two articulated anterior limbs and the contents of the stomach".

The researchers have even been able to determine that the last meal of the dinosaur was a small lizard called Clevosaurus, thanks to an analysis of the remains in his stomach.

The skull is still sitting in Zahner's office, measuring only about 9 inches. But a complete replica and a model skeleton can be found at the Dinosaur Museum in Frick.
Zahner hopes that the dinosaur model will educate visitors, students, and future paleontologists about how species' characteristics evolve over thousands of years. For example, she explains that dinosaurs are ancestors of the birds we see today.

"I just think that every fossil is very special and that it's important that the entire tree of life understands the past, the present and the future," Zahner said.

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