By Dean Murray via SWNS
If you thought Tyrannosaurus rex had short arms, wait until you see this newly discovered dinosaur.
The carnivorous species Koleken inakayali has been identified as living 70 million years ago.
National Geographic Explorer Diego Pol and a global team of researchers and paleontologists uncovered the find in the La Colonia Formation of central Patagonia.
The dinosaur’s name derives from the language of the Tehuelche people of the region and refers to the claystone the animal was found in and the Tehuelche leader Inakayal.
The dinosaur represents only the second known of abelisaurid family of dinosaurs to have lived in the La Colonia Formation at the end of the dinosaur era in the Late Cretaceous Epoch.
Koleken resembles the iconic “meat bull” Carnotaurus sastrei, the only other abelisaurid known from the La Colonia Formation, which was popularised in the film Jurassic World.
However, unlike Carnotaurus, Kotleken is smaller in size and exhibits a unique set of skull features and anatomical differences — most notably, the absence of the massive frontal horns possessed by Carnotaurs.
The team’s research, published on Tuesday (May 21) in the journal Cladistics, details their findings which consist of a partial skeleton, including several skull bones, an almost complete series of back bones, a complete hip, several tail bones, and almost complete legs.
“This finding sheds light on the diversity of abelisaurid theropods in Patagonia right before the mass extinction event,” said Diego Pol. “Our study also analyses the evolution of abelisaurids and their relatives through time and identifies pulses of accelerated rates of skull evolution in the Early Cretaceous. It expands what we know about abelisaurids living in this area during the Cretaceous Period and shows that they were more diverse than previously understood.”
“The discovery of Koleken inakayali significantly furthers our collective scientific understanding of the dinosaur era,” said Ian Miller, the National Geographic Society’s Chief Science and Innovation Officer. “The addition of Koleken inakayali to the La Colonia Formation fauna continues to demonstrate that the Formation is amongst the most important end-Cretaceous dinosaur-bearing rock units in the world. Diego and his team of global experts, researchers and lab technicians are bringing to life new insights about this lost world and furthering the National Geographic Society’s work to engage in science and exploration to better understand the wonder of our world and share those findings with the global community.”
A common trait of abelisaurid dinosaurs, such as Koleken inakayali or Tyrannosaurus rex, is their short arms. Theories for this include the use of them for close-up prey kills or they evolved to not get in the way of the carnivore’s deadly bite.
