American researchers have describedoldest dinosaur fossilsof the world. The remains of the new species, baptized asNyasasaurus parringtoni, date to the Middle Triassic, and are estimated to be 10 to 15 million years older than any other known dinosaur remnant. “If it is not the first dinosaur in history, at least it is the closest relative to it that we have found,” explains Sterling Nesbitt, a biologist at the University of Washington and co-author of the article published in the journal.Biology Letters.
The paleontological study has been carried out froma humerus and several vertebraewhich were part of the collection of the Natural History Museum in London. The analyzes indicate that the animal could stand upright, measured 2 to 3 meters in length and reached around one meter in height. As for its weight, it is estimated that it was around 20 to 60 kilograms. He lived in present-day Tanzania (Africa), which at that time was part ofa single terrestrial supercontinent called Pangea. The authors assure that the study indicates that dinosaurs evolved earlier than previously thought, and that they arose from a diversification of archosaurs – whose name means “dominant reptiles”? From whom crocodiles and pterosaurs also come. However, they note that their research does not reveal thatNyasasaurusbe the common ancestor of all dinosaurs.
The bones found also indicate that the animal had many bone cells and abundant blood vessels. “In live animals, these characteristics are typical of rapid growth,” says Sarah Werning, from the University of California at Berkeley, a co-author of the research.
The fossils were found in the 1930s, and were described in the 1950s, although their description was not published at the time. “Now,Eighty years later, we have put the pieces of the puzzle together“says Nesbitt, who is convinced of the important role of museums as a repository for specimens whose relevance was underestimated after their discovery and that could hold many surprises in the future.
