{"id":2097,"date":"2016-11-30T23:05:14","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T23:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edrugstore.md\/blog\/?p=2097"},"modified":"2019-10-02T18:34:15","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T18:34:15","slug":"dinosaur-found-in-safrica-l1130","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/dinosaur-found-in-safrica-l1130\/","title":{"rendered":"Mini Dinosaur Found in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paleontologists have unearthed a rare species of dinosaur; one with a beak like a parrot and a body the size of a small dog. The \u2018Pegomastax\u2019 was lodged in a rock that Paul C. Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago and a dinosaur specialist, dug up almost 30 years ago.<\/p>\n

Tiny dinosaur had a tough look<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Pegomastax means “strong jaw from Africa.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While this mini-dino weighs less than an average housecat, Sereno believes it had a fierce look. With a strong jaw, self-sharpening teeth and spikes like a porcupine, paleontologists believe it was built as a \u201cnimble two-legged porcupine.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I think the bristles would have made it look at least a little bigger than it was — perhaps they could poke out more strongly when excited,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The main defense would be the speed of escape. These were very long-legged fast critters. They could inflict a nipping bite if cornered, using the fangs much like a peccary or fanged deer.”<\/p>\n

A discovery decades in the making<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thirty years ago, when Sereno noticed this fossil in a hunk of rock, he knew he found something interesting.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy eyes popped, as it was clear this was a distinct species,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m embarrassed to say how many years ago that was \u2014 1983,\u201d he told the NY Times<\/a>. \u201cBut I was an enterprising graduate student then at the American Museum of Natural History. All the while since then, I wondered if anyone else might spot the creature hiding among the lab drawers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discovery will help explain evolution<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Small plant-eating dinosaur is latest discovery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hans-Dieter Sues, a senior research geologist and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the National Museum of Natural History, believes Pegomastax was a highly specialized plant-eating dinosaur and will help scientists understand the evolution of herbivores.<\/p>\n

“Pegomastax belongs to a group of distinctive, small bird-hipped dinosaurs that appeared surprisingly early in the evolutionary history of dinosaurs,” Sues said. \u201cIt could help fill in some blanks in our evolutionary knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paleontologists have unearthed a rare species of dinosaur; one with a beak like a parrot and a body the size of a small dog. The \u2018Pegomastax\u2019 was lodged in a rock that Paul C. Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago and a dinosaur specialist, dug up almost 30 years ago. Tiny dinosaur had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-health-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t