If you thought the T.Rex had short arms, wait until you see this newly discovered dinosaur.
A carnivorous species called Koleken inakayali roamed the Earth 70 million years ago and had forelimbs even smaller than those of the “King of the Dinosaurs.”
National Geographic explorer Diego Pol and a global team of researchers and paleontologists discovered their fossilized remains in the La Colonia Formation in central Patagonia.
The name Koleken inakayali derives from the language of the Tehuelche people of the region and refers to the clay in which the animal was found and the Tehuelche leader Inakayal.
The dinosaur represents only the second known dinosaur from the abelisaurid dinosaur family that lived in the La Colonia Formation at the end of the dinosaur era in the Late Cretaceous era.
If you thought the T.Rex had short arms, wait until you see this newly discovered dinosaur. A carnivorous species called Koleken inakayali roamed the Earth 70 million years ago and had forelimbs even smaller than those of the ‘King of the Dinosaurs’.
A common feature of abelisaurid dinosaurs, such as Koleken inakayali or Tyrannosaurus rex (artist’s impression), is their short arms.
Koleken resembles the iconic ‘meat bull’ Carnotaurus sastrei, the only other abelisaurid known from the La Colonia Formation, which was popularized in the movie Jurassic World.
However, unlike Carnotaurus, Kotleken is smaller and exhibits a unique set of cranial features and anatomical differences, notably the absence of the enormous frontal horns that Carnotaurus possess.
The team’s research, published in the journal Cladistics, details their findings, which consist of a partial skeleton, including several skull bones, a nearly complete set of back bones, a complete hip, several tail bones, and legs. almost complete.
Koleken resembles the iconic ‘meat bull’ Carnotaurus sastrei, the only other abelisaurid known from the La Colonia Formation.
The team’s research, published in the journal Cladistics, details their findings, which consist of a partial skeleton, including several skull bones, a nearly complete set of back bones, a complete hip, several tail bones, and legs. almost complete.
“This finding sheds light on the diversity of abelisaurid theropods in Patagonia just before the mass extinction,” said Diego Pol.
«Our study also analyzes the evolution of abelisaurids and their relatives over time, and identifies pulses of accelerated rates of skull evolution in the Early Cretaceous.
“It expands what we know about the abelisaurids that lived in this area during the Cretaceous period and shows that they were more diverse than previously thought.”
A common feature of abelisaurid dinosaurs, such as Koleken inakayali or Tyrannosaurus rex, is their short arms.
Theories for this include using them to kill prey up close or they evolved to not get in the way of the carnivore’s deadly bite.
A common feature of abelisaurid dinosaurs, such as Koleken inakayali or Tyrannosaurus rex, is their short arms.
“The discovery of Koleken inakayali significantly advances our collective scientific understanding of the age of dinosaurs,” said Ian Miller, director of science and innovation at the National Geographic Society.
‘The addition of Koleken inakayali to the fauna of the La Colonia Formation continues to demonstrate that the Formation is among the most important rock units with dinosaurs from the end of the Cretaceous in the world.
“Diego and his team of global experts, researchers and laboratory technicians are bringing new knowledge to life about this lost world and promoting the work of the National Geographic Society to engage in science and exploration to better understand the wonders of our world and share those findings with the global community.’