Wednesday, February 13, 2008

New Dinosaur Fossils Found in China

Scientists have found new dinosaur fossils in China. The fossils are small, sparrow sized, toothless, and have carved toes. Despite their small size, they strongly resemble pterodactyls. They supposedly spent most of their time living in trees. Pterodactyls are widely known for being giant flying reptiles and most of their fossils have been found around costal areas.

The new fossil has been named Nemicolopterus cryptic, meaning hidden flying forest dweller. It was found in the western part of China’s Liaoning province, which is a region that had forests 120 million years ago. The fossil had attachments for muscles so that it could grasp limbs. It didn’t have any teeth, unlike most pterodactyls, and probably ate insects.

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