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Zhang Zongda
Print of the l artist: Lingwulong shenqi means the "amazing dragon" of Lingwu
A newly discovered dinosaur could rewrite the geological history of China, according to recent findings.
The newestborn of the family of long-necked giant dinosaurs known as sauropods Lingwulong shenqi in the north of the country about 174 million years ago.
At that time, it was thought that East Asia had separated from the supercontinent Pangea.
Part of a subgroup called neosauropods, which included brontosaurus, diplodocus and brachiosaurus, Lingwulong appeared exactly where it should not – in northern China, 15 million years earlier than the other dinosaurs known to this group.
Dr. Philip Mannion of Imperial College London, author of the study, described the discovery as "doubly unexpected".
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Xu Xing
Technicians measuring the bone of Lingwulong's shoulder
"Not only is it the oldest member [of this group] but it is the first in Asia, it has long been thought that neosauropods did not enter Asia during the Jurassic period" he told the BBC News. At the time, Pangea was beginning to fragment. It was proposed that a sea, just like the Red Sea but larger, separated what is now China from the rest of the supercontinent, preventing animals from crossing.
"This suggests that first and foremost [neosauropods] came before any type of" Neosauropods are numerous in other parts of Pangea – today in North America, Europe and East Africa – there are no more than 160 million years, "says Dr. Mannion.
Right to image author
Shi Aijuan
Bones in white were found in the excavations of Lingwulong.
Lingwulong now takes his place as the oldest known member of this family. But it can also show that these dinosaurs were at a stage of evolution much more advanced than previously thought – reducing their diversification of the environment at least in the early Jurassic.
Contrary to the idea that dinosaurs "failed" because they disappeared as a result of the impact of Chicxulub, they have in fact very well evolved and evolved. adapt, enduring millions of years. They survived several mass extinctions on Earth caused by extensive volcanic activity, and continued to thrive.
The discovery of Lingwulong is further evidence of this, says Dr. Cecilia Apaldetti of CONICET-National University of San Juan Argentina
Photo copyrights [19659003] Xu Xing
The dinosaur was excavated in the Lingwu region of China, for which it is named
"This new sauropod Lingwulong and the recent Ingentia – related to the origin of Sauropoda – reveal that dinosaurs had an unusual ability to innovate anatomically from the beginning of their evolution" , the paleontologist, who was not "This allowed them to dominate and dominate in almost all terrestrial ecosystems for millions of years." This anatomical versatility was probably one of the keys to evolution that led them to be one of the most successful vertebrates in the history of life on earth, "she said. she added.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
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