Buenos Aires Aug 15 (BUS): Paleontologists announce the discovery of a small, previously unknown, armored dinosaur in southern Argentina, a creature that likely walked upright on its hind legs as it roamed the steamy landscape of the time about 100 million years ago. .
They said the Cretaceous period dinosaur, called Jakabell Kanyukura, was well protected by rows of bony disc-shaped shields along its neck and back, down to its tail. They are about 5 feet (1.5 m) long and 9 to 15 lbs (4-7 kg) in weight, similar to a regular domestic cat.
Its fossilized remains were excavated over the past decade near a dam in Patagonia in the ancient La Puetrera region of the Río Negro province. Scientists describe Jacapelle in a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The scientists said the jacapelle represented the first such discovery of an armored dinosaur from the Cretaceous period in South America. It is part of the Therophoran group of dinosaurs that includes the likes of Stegosaurus, known for its bony back panels and spiky tail, and the tank-like Ankylosaurus, which was covered in armor and possessed a club-like tail, Reuters reported.
Pioneering paleontologist Sebastian Apistegoia and colleagues found a partial skeleton of a Jacapel with 15 tooth fragments featuring a leaf-like shape, similar to the teeth of an iguana.
Jakabell resembles the primitive form of therophoran that lived much earlier, which makes it surprising that it dates back to the Cretaceous period. Apesteguia said that never before had such a thyrophore been excavated anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
HF