British scientists have announced the discovery of a dinosaur leg which would have been torn off during the impact of the asteroid which put an abrupt end to their reign.
A perfectly preserved Thescelosaurus leg
Famous fossiliferous site of North Dakota, Tanis has been the scene of important paleontological discoveries in recent years, including the remains of sturgeons and paddlefish, thought to have died 66 million years ago, when the asteroid responsible for the disappearance of 75% of life ground hit the peninsula of Chicxulub. To reach these conclusions, the researchers had examined and dated tiny particles of molten rock (called spherules) found in the gills of fish.
Other fossils associated with this cataclysmic impact included a prehistoric tortoise impaled on a branch, a pterosaur egg containing an embryo, small mammals trapped in their burrows, and triceratops skin.
Recent excavations by scientists from theuniversity of Manchester led to the discovery of an incredibly well-preserved fossilized dinosaur leg. Featuring pads and skin patterns, this one would have belonged to a Thescelosaurusa herbivorous species measuring up to 4 meters long and weighing around 300 kilos, which would have lost its life the day the massive space rock struck our planet.
” It shows very conclusively that these dinosaurs were very scaly, like lizards, and featherless, unlike their meat-eating contemporaries. “, underlines the professor Paul Barrettof London Natural History Museum. ” There are no signs of disease on the leg, no obvious pathology, no scavenger marks, such as bite marks or missing pieces, suggesting that it was ripped off and this animal more or less died. less instantly. »
Claims considered with caution
While it is entirely possible that the death of the dinosaur was directly caused by the impact of the asteroid, which occurred about 3,000 kilometers south of where the fossilized remains were unearthed, some experts prefer to be cautious, recalling that this discovery has not yet been the subject of a publication in a scientific journal.
” It is possible that the Thescelosaurus and other creatures that were discovered at Tanis died days or years earlier, and that their remains were discovered on impact and then buried again during the falling debris. “, highlighted Steve Brusatteof the’Edinburgh university.
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