New Species of Carnivore Dinosaur Found in Utah
Experts have recently discovered a new species of meat-eating dinosaurs in Utah. The first exemplar of the species, dubbed ‘Allosaurus Jimmadseni,’ was unearthed at Dinosaur National Monument in northeastern in the 1990s, the University of Utah states.
The dinosaur, which used to live in western North America about 157 million to 152 million years ago, is reportedly the oldest species of Allosaurus, the paleontologists say.
Allosaurus Jimmadseni was allegedly 26 to 29 feet long and weighed approximately 400 pounds. Its name, ‘Allosaurus,’ means ‘different reptile,’ and ‘Jimmadseni’ was attributed to the discovery to honor Utah State Paleontologist James H. Madsen Jr. The finding was revealed on January 24th in the scientific journal PeerJ.
“Previously, paleontologists thought there was only one species of Allosaurus in Jurassic North America, but this study shows there were two species — the newly described Allosaurus Jimmadseni evolved at least 5 million years earlier than its younger cousin, Allosaurus Fragilis,” said study co-lead author Mark Loewen, research associate at the Natural History Museum of Utah and associate professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, in a statement.
“The skull of Allosaurus Jimmadseni is more lightly built than its later relative Allosaurus Fragilis, suggesting a different feeding behavior between the two.”
New Species of Carnivore Dinosaur Found in Utah
Utah keeps providing scientists with fresh peaks into its ancient past. In another project, for instance, paleontologists discovered a new species of ankylosaur, also known as the armored dinosaur, in the Beehive Stare, more precisely.
Back in 2019, researchers also revealed some outstanding studies that detail a bit more the 24 hours that followed the asteroid collision that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The space rock hit Earth about 66 million years ago and has been compared to the power of about 10 billion atomic bombs.
A team of researchers led by the University of Texas analyzed a massive area of rocks that filled the Chicxlub impact crater within the next 24 hours after the collision. The crater is located near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
The scientists explained how the asteroid triggered wildfires, tsunamis, and sent sulfur into the atmosphere, blocking the Sun completely. This space rock hit is detailed as a ‘short-lived’ regional hell that was followed by a cold period all over the planet that led to the extinction of dinosaurs.
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