Latest news with #MorrisonFormation
CNN
an hour ago
- Science
- CNN
New dog-sized dinosaur species discovered
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur — one that was dog-sized and roamed what is now the United States around 150 million years ago alongside familiar dinosaurs like stegosaurus and diplodocus. The Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, as researchers named it, was about the same size as a Labrador retriever, with a tail that made up about half of its length, according to a study published in the Royal Society Open Science on Wednesday. Although many of its bones were unearthed from the Morrison Formation in Colorado in 2021-2022, its skull and parts of its vertebral column were missing, leaving scientists unsure of its precise length. 'These very small plant-eating dinosaurs are pretty rare (to find),' Professor Paul Barrett, a researcher at London's Natural History Museum who co-led the study, told CNN. 'Actually finding a substantially completed skeleton rather than a few bits and pieces of bones is not common and as a result they're fairly poorly known.' The skeleton will be displayed at the Natural History Museum from June 26. This dinosaur was quite 'lightly built' and weighed around the same as a collie, said Barrett. It was a herbivore and would have walked on its long hind legs, which 'suggests it was quite a speedy runner' allowing it to make a 'quick getaway' from predators, Barrett added. He and his colleague, Susannah Maidment, began investigating this specimen after a London art gallery, which was displaying the dinosaur, got in contact with them. They were eventually able to work with the gallery to find a donor who could help bring the skeleton to the museum. The species name honors that donor, Molly Borthwick, while the genus name is Latin for 'mysterious runner.' By carefully examining the bones, Maidment and Barrett concluded that this specimen had unique characteristics unlike any other previously known species. In particular, its thigh bone was particularly distinctive, with different sorts of muscle attachments than other dinosaurs, Barrett said. It is most closely related to Yandusaurus hongheenis, a three-meter- (9.8-foot) long dinosaur that has been found in China. This suggests the species was widely distributed, Barrett said, hypothesizing that other fossils of it simply haven't been found yet. Scientists believe this specimen was not yet fully grown as some of its vertebrae had not yet fused but, because of the way the fossil was prepared before it came to the Natural History Museum, they can't be certain. It is also not clear how the dinosaur died because there aren't any obvious signs of illness or injury in its bones. New species of dinosaurs are unearthed or identified relatively frequently, about once a week, said Barrett. But finding small dinosaurs like this is much rarer, partly because they're overlooked by fossil hunters searching for bigger, more impressive dinosaurs and partly because smaller skeletons are more likely to be ripped apart by predators and scavengers. Finding these smaller dinosaurs which are often left in the ground 'gives us a more complete idea of what those ecosystems were like,' Barrett said.
CNN
3 hours ago
- Science
- CNN
New dog-sized dinosaur species discovered
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur — one that was dog-sized and roamed what is now the United States around 150 million years ago alongside familiar dinosaurs like stegosaurus and diplodocus. The Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, as researchers named it, was about the same size as a Labrador retriever, with a tail that made up about half of its length, according to a study published in the Royal Society Open Science on Wednesday. Although many of its bones were unearthed from the Morrison Formation in Colorado in 2021-2022, its skull and parts of its vertebral column were missing, leaving scientists unsure of its precise length. 'These very small plant-eating dinosaurs are pretty rare (to find),' Professor Paul Barrett, a researcher at London's Natural History Museum who co-led the study, told CNN. 'Actually finding a substantially completed skeleton rather than a few bits and pieces of bones is not common and as a result they're fairly poorly known.' The skeleton will be displayed at the Natural History Museum from June 26. This dinosaur was quite 'lightly built' and weighed around the same as a collie, said Barrett. It was a herbivore and would have walked on its long hind legs, which 'suggests it was quite a speedy runner' allowing it to make a 'quick getaway' from predators, Barrett added. He and his colleague, Susannah Maidment, began investigating this specimen after a London art gallery, which was displaying the dinosaur, got in contact with them. They were eventually able to work with the gallery to find a donor who could help bring the skeleton to the museum. The species name honors that donor, Molly Borthwick, while the genus name is Latin for 'mysterious runner.' By carefully examining the bones, Maidment and Barrett concluded that this specimen had unique characteristics unlike any other previously known species. In particular, its thigh bone was particularly distinctive, with different sorts of muscle attachments than other dinosaurs, Barrett said. It is most closely related to Yandusaurus hongheenis, a three-meter- (9.8-foot) long dinosaur that has been found in China. This suggests the species was widely distributed, Barrett said, hypothesizing that other fossils of it simply haven't been found yet. Scientists believe this specimen was not yet fully grown as some of its vertebrae had not yet fused but, because of the way the fossil was prepared before it came to the Natural History Museum, they can't be certain. It is also not clear how the dinosaur died because there aren't any obvious signs of illness or injury in its bones. New species of dinosaurs are unearthed or identified relatively frequently, about once a week, said Barrett. But finding small dinosaurs like this is much rarer, partly because they're overlooked by fossil hunters searching for bigger, more impressive dinosaurs and partly because smaller skeletons are more likely to be ripped apart by predators and scavengers. Finding these smaller dinosaurs which are often left in the ground 'gives us a more complete idea of what those ecosystems were like,' Barrett said.
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Science
- BBC News
Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae: New species of dog-sized dinosaur discovered
Experts have discovered a new small species of has been named Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, and scientists say it lived around 150 million years ago, during the late Jurassic roamed around what is now North America, running around the feet of famous giants like the will now become the first new dinosaur to go on display at London's Natural History Museum in more than ten years. What did experts discover about the new dinosaur? The small dinosaur was found in America's Morrison Formation, in the western United States - which has previously produced some of the world's most famous dinosaurs, including the Stegosaurus and it was first discovered, it was wrongly categorised as a Nanosaurus but scientists have now worked out it is a different new name, Enigmacursor, means 'puzzling runner' - and palaeontologists think it was the size of a labrador to experts, it stood 64 cm tall and 180 cm long but with much bigger feet and a tail that was "probably longer than the rest of the dinosaur." The fossilised remains are the most complete of any in the world for early small big dinosaur bones have been the biggest prize, so there has been less interest in digging out smaller hope that this new discovery could help them understand the diversity of dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic period. Professor Susannah Maidment, from the Natural History Museum, said the new species could be the first of many small dinosaurs to be found in western USA."While the Morrison Formation has been well-known for a long time, most of the focus has been on searching for the biggest and most impressive dinosaurs."She added: "Smaller dinosaurs are often left behind, meaning there are probably many still in the ground."Enigmacursor shows that there's still plenty to discover in even this well-studied region."The new dino will now go on permanent display at London's Natural History Museum.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Dog-sized dinosaur that ran around feet of giants discovered
A labrador-sized dinosaur was wrongly categorised when it was found and is actually a new species, scientists have discovered. Its new name is Enigmacursor - meaning puzzling runner - and it lived about 150 million years ago, running around the feet of famous giants like the Stegosaurus. It was originally classified as a Nanosaurus but scientists now conclude it is a different animal. On Thursday it will become the first new dinosaur to go on display at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London since 2014. BBC News went behind the scenes to see the dinosaur before it will be revealed to the public. The discovery promises to shed light on the evolutionary history that saw early small dinosaurs become very large and "bizarre" animals, according to Professor Paul Barrett, a palaeontologist at the museum. When we visit, the designer of a special glass display case for the Enigmacursor is making last-minute checks. The dinosaur's new home is a balcony in the museum's impressive Earth Hall. Below it is Steph the Stegosaurus who also lived in the Morrison Formation in the Western United States. Enigmacursor is tiny by comparison. At 64 cm tall and 180 cm long it is about the height of a labrador, but with much bigger feet and a tail that was "probably longer than the rest of the dinosaur," says Professor Susanna Maidment. "It also had a relatively small head, so it was probably not the brightest," she adds, adding that it was probably a teenager when it died. With the fossilised remains of its bones in their hands, conservators Lu Allington-Jones and Kieran Miles expertly assemble the skeleton on to a metal frame. "I don't want to damage it at this stage before its revealed to everybody," says Ms Allington-Jones, head of conservation. "Here you can see the solid dense hips showing you it was a fast-running dinosaur. But the front arms are much smaller and off the ground - perhaps it used them to shovel plants in its mouth with hands," says Mr Miles. It was clues in the bones that led scientists at NHM to conclude the creature was a new species. "When we're trying to identify if something is a new species, we're looking for small differences with all of the other closely-related dinosaurs. The leg bones are really important in this one," says Prof Maidment, holding the right hind limb of the Enigmacursor. When the dinosaur was donated to the museum it was named Nanosaurus, like many other small dinosaurs named since the 1870s. But the scientists suspected that categorisation was false. To find out more, they travelled to the United States with scans of the skeleton and detailed photographs to see the original Nanosaurus that is considered the archtype specimen. "But it didn't have any bones. It's just a rock with some impressions of bone in it. It could be any number of dinosaurs," Professor Maidment said. In contrast, the NHM's specimen was a sophisticated and near-to-complete skeleton with unique features including its leg bones. Untangling this mystery around the names and categorisation is essential, the palaeontologists say. "It's absolutely foundational to our work to understand how many species we actually have. If we've got that wrong, everything else falls apart," says Prof Maidment. The scientists have now formally erased the whole category of Nanosaurus. They believe that other small dinosaur specimens from this period are probably also distinct species. The discovery should help the scientists understand the diversity of dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic period. Smaller dinosaurs are "very close to the origins of the large groups of dinosaurs that become much more prominent later on," says Prof Barrett. "Specimens like this help fill in some of those gaps in our knowledge, showing us how those changes occur gradually over time," he adds. Looking at these early creatures helps them identify "the pressures that finally led to the evolution of their more bizarre, gigantic descendants," says Prof Barrett. The scientists are excited to have such a rare complete skeleton of a small dinosaur. Traditionally, big dinosaur bones have been the biggest prize, so there has been less interest in digging out smaller fossils. "When you're looking for those very big dinosaurs, sometimes it's easy to overlook the smaller ones living alongside them. But now I hope people will keep their eyes close to the ground looking for these little ones," says Prof Barrett. The findings about Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae are published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Science
- BBC News
Natural History Museum to display rare dog-sized dinosaur
A labrador-sized dinosaur was wrongly categorised when it was found and is actually a new species, scientists have new name is Enigmacursor - meaning puzzling runner - and it lived about 150 million years ago, running around the feet of famous giants like the was originally classified as a Nanosaurus but scientists now conclude it is a different Thursday it will become the first new dinosaur to go on display at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London since 2014. BBC News went behind the scenes to see the dinosaur before it will be revealed to the discovery promises to shed light on the evolutionary history that saw early small dinosaurs become very large and "bizarre" animals, according to Professor Paul Barrett, a palaeontologist at the we visit, the designer of a special glass display case for the Enigmacursor is making last-minute dinosaur's new home is a balcony in the museum's impressive Earth Hall. Below it is Steph the Stegosaurus who also lived in the Morrison Formation in the Western United is tiny by comparison. At 64 cm tall and 180 cm long it is about the height of a labrador, but with much bigger feet and a tail that was "probably longer than the rest of the dinosaur," says Professor Susanna Maidment. "It also had a relatively small head, so it was probably not the brightest," she adds, adding that it was probably a teenager when it the fossilised remains of its bones in their hands, conservators Lu Allington-Jones and Kieran Miles expertly assemble the skeleton on to a metal frame."I don't want to damage it at this stage before its revealed to everybody," says Ms Allington-Jones, head of conservation. "Here you can see the solid dense hips showing you it was a fast-running dinosaur. But the front arms are much smaller and off the ground - perhaps it used them to shovel plants in its mouth with hands," says Mr was clues in the bones that led scientists at NHM to conclude the creature was a new species."When we're trying to identify if something is a new species, we're looking for small differences with all of the other closely-related dinosaurs. The leg bones are really important in this one," says Prof Maidment, holding the right hind limb of the the dinosaur was donated to the museum it was named Nanosaurus, like many other small dinosaurs named since the the scientists suspected that categorisation was find out more, they travelled to the United States with scans of the skeleton and detailed photographs to see the original Nanosaurus that is considered the archtype specimen."But it didn't have any bones. It's just a rock with some impressions of bone in it. It could be any number of dinosaurs," Professor Maidment said. In contrast, the NHM's specimen was a sophisticated and near-to-complete skeleton with unique features including its leg this mystery around the names and categorisation is essential, the palaeontologists say."It's absolutely foundational to our work to understand how many species we actually have. If we've got that wrong, everything else falls apart," says Prof scientists have now formally erased the whole category of Nanosaurus. They believe that other small dinosaur specimens from this period are probably also distinct discovery should help the scientists understand the diversity of dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic dinosaurs are "very close to the origins of the large groups of dinosaurs that become much more prominent later on," says Prof Barrett."Specimens like this help fill in some of those gaps in our knowledge, showing us how those changes occur gradually over time," he at these early creatures helps them identify "the pressures that finally led to the evolution of their more bizarre, gigantic descendants," says Prof Barrett. The scientists are excited to have such a rare complete skeleton of a small big dinosaur bones have been the biggest prize, so there has been less interest in digging out smaller fossils."When you're looking for those very big dinosaurs, sometimes it's easy to overlook the smaller ones living alongside them. But now I hope people will keep their eyes close to the ground looking for these little ones," says Prof findings about Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae are published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
