Friday, October 5, 2012

Scientists discover new species of dinosaur: the fanged vampire parrot - Telegraph.co.uk [fornadablog.blogspot.com]

Scientists discover new species of dinosaur: the fanged vampire parrot - Telegraph.co.uk [fornadablog.blogspot.com]


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[fornadablog.blogspot.com], Scientists discover new species of dinosaur: the fanged vampire parrot - Telegraph.co.uk

The specimen was first chipped out of a slab of red rock in southern Africa in the 1960s, but was only reported for the first time on Wednesday by Paul Sereno, a paleontologist and dinosaur specialist at the University of Chicago.

The creature, named Pegomastax africanus (thick jaw from Africa), is part of a class of small herbivores called heterodontosaurus.

The 200 million-year-old dinosaur is believed to have measured less than two feet long and weighed less than a house cat. Its tall teeth in the upper and lower jaws operated like self-sharpening scissors, according to Mr Sereno.

While some scientists say heterodontosaurs ate meat or at least insects, Mr Sereno said the sharp, vampire-like canines were more likely for self-defence or competitive sparring for mates.

Bristles much like those of a porcupine probably covered much of its body. It also probably spent much of its time scurrying about looking for plants to eat and looking like a "nimble two-legged porcupine."

Such small herbivores spread across the globe and while they are virtually unknown to the public, "Pegomastax and kin were the most advanced plant eaters of their day," Mr Sereno said in the report which was published in online journal ZooKeys.

When he first saw it at Harvard University in 1983, Mr Sereno said: "my eyes popped, as it was clear this was a new species."

Ever since, the dinosaur researcher said he wondered "if anyone else might spot the creature hiding among the lab drawers."

Source: agencies

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