Antarctica's First Dinosaur Fossil Belonged to a Group of the Largest Land Animals Ever
Researchers reidentified a 1985 bone as a titanosaur vertebra, adding the first known dinosaur fossil from the continent and new clues to southern dinosaur movement.
- On Monday, the Natural History Museum announced that a fossilized vertebra discovered in 1985—initially misidentified as a marine reptile—is Antarctica's first confirmed dinosaur fossil, a juvenile titanosaur.
- Geologist Mike Thomson discovered the 10-centimeter bone on the Antarctic Peninsula in 1985, documenting it as a "vertebra of a large reptile" before Mark Evans identified it correctly decades later.
- Dating back 82 million years to the Late Cretaceous, this juvenile sauropod measured roughly six to seven meters long, dwarfed by the largest known titanosaurs which could grow to 37 meters.
- This discovery confirms these long-necked herbivores traversed the supercontinent Gondwana, strengthening evidence that dinosaurs utilized Antarctica to migrate between South America and other southern landmasses during the Cretaceous.
- Researchers expect more findings as climate change causes ice retreat on the continent, with Roy Smith, a lecturer in vertebrate palaeontology at the University of Portsmouth, calling the find a "wonderful reminder" of scientific collections' value.
16 Articles
16 Articles
A fossil that remained stored for decades in the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) collection was identified as the first dinosaur bone discovered in Antarctica, a finding that provides new information about the presence of these large animals during the late Cretaceous period. They kept the largest dinosaur in a drawer The vertebra was found in 1985 by a BAS expedition. At that time, researchers considered it to belong to a large reptile, so it wa…
Antarctica's first dinosaur fossil belonged to a group of the largest land animals ever
The first dinosaur found in Antarctica belonged to a group that included the largest animals ever to walk the planet, a new study finds.A backbone from the 82 million-year-old giant was discovered more than 40 years ago, but at the time, researchers assumed it came from an ancient marine reptile. Now a new study, published June 29 in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, has revealed that it was actually a titanosaur — the group of long-nec…
The fossil was considered to be the remains of a marine reptile Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Natural History Museum in London have identified a unique fossil. The bone belonged to a member of the family of the greatest land creatures that ever walked the Earth. RBC-Ukraine writes about this, citing a study published in Acta Paleontologica Polonica. Expedition error 1985 and sensational rediscovery Geologist Mike Tho…
Fossil kept in drawer for decades turns out to be first ever dinosaur bone discovered in Antarctica - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
(CNN) — A fossil that was sitting in a collection drawer for decades has been found to belong to the first dinosaur remains ever discovered in Antarctica. The vertebra or backbone was found in 1985 by a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) expedition, but was initially assessed as belonging to a large reptile, according to a statement from London’s Natural History Museum on Monday. After multiple decades in storage, it was spotted by Mark Evans, a pal…
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