Newly Discovered Dinosaurs Have Short But Strong Arms

distance Tyrannosaurus Rex Another carnivorous dinosaur with remarkably short front legs was discovered. Miraxis Gegas He lived in the Southern Hemisphere during the Cretaceous period, about 97 million years ago – roughly 20 million years before T. rex appeared on the scene. The two species were not related to each other. One can only speculate on the function of the short arms, Argentine and American researchers write in current biology.

It was no less than 11 meters Miraxis Gegas Named after a dragon from a book by fantasy author George R. R. Martin, it weighs about 4,000 pounds. It belongs to the Carcharodontosauridae, a group far from dinosaurs in the evolutionary tree. The partially complete skeleton found now in southern Argentina was of an adult dinosaur, ranging in age from 39 to 53 years old. with it was Miraxis Gegas Long life type. The skull, more than four feet long, had small horns and spurs and other indentations, presumably adorning the partner.

arms fifty centimeters

Remarkably, the length of the front legs was not even half the length of the femur, the paleontologists wrote. Although the right arm found is not completely complete, it can be inferred on the basis of the scale bar shown in the article that the length was probably a little more than 50 cm.

In the past, various interpretations of the front legs of T. rex have been put forward. They are said to be used to hug a partner during mating, or to maintain balance while running. And only last month came suddenly plausible new theory Outward: The arms will be short enough to prevent Toxoplasma rex from being bitten by other species while fighting for prey. This bite wound can seriously injure and then be life-threatening.

in current biology The authors believe that the short arms were just a side effect of the dinosaur skeleton: the focus was on the evolution of the large skull, as a result of which the front legs were a bit scrawny. In other words: the larger the head, the shorter the arm.

However, paleontologists do not exclude that the front legs also had a function. The shape of the skeleton shows that they really did have big muscles, and they probably weren’t just there for decoration.