New predator dinosaur species discovered after century of misclassification
Paleontologists have dug up new dinosaur drama.
Researchers identified a new dinosaur species that lived in Africa roughly 95 million years ago and published their findings last week in the journal PLOS ONE.
The ancient species is called Tameryraptor markgrafi and it is a member of a group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs called Carcharodontosauridae.
Tameryraptor markgrafi fossil bones on display. Kellermann et al
The dinosaur’s fossilized remains were found in 1914 from the Bahariya Formation from a locality in the northern part of the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt.
They were first described in 1931 by the German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach, who mistakenly dubbed the species the Carcharodontosaurus saharicus.
The specimen comprised skull fragments, vertebrae, partial pubis and ischium, femora, and a fibula.
The authors of the study said that the original specimen was destroyed in Munich, Germany during World War II
Skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Singapore. HOW HWEE YOUNG/EPA-EFE/Shutterst
In addition to the data and description of the species, an endocast of the braincase is currently being housed in Berlin.
“What we saw in the historical images surprised us all,” said Dr. Kellermann, one of the authors of the study.
“The Egyptian dinosaur fossil depicted there differs significantly from more recent Carcharodontosaurus finds in Morocco,” he continued. “Stromer’s original classification was thus incorrect. We identified a completely different, previously unknown predatory dinosaur species here and named it Tameryraptor markgrafi.”
A giganotosaurus. DM7 – stock.adobe.com
Dr. Oliver Rauhut, senior author of the study, said the Tameryraptor markgrafi was nearly 33 feet long long, had symmetrical teeth and a prominent nasal horn.
“We found that the dinosaur was closely related to the North African and South American carcharodontosaurs, as well as to a group of predatory dinosaurs from Asia, the metriacanthosaurs,” Dr. Rauhut explained.
He went on, “Presumably, the dinosaur fauna of North Africa was much more diverse than we previously thought. This work shows that it can be worthwhile for paleontologists to dig not only in the ground, but also in old archives.”
