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.

New Dinosaur Species Found in Argentina

In Argentina a skeleton of a new dinosaur was found. The dinosaur was 105 feet long and a plant eater. It is one of the largest dinosaurs found in Argentina. It was named Futalognkosaurus dukei after the Mapuche Indian words “giant” and “chief” and for the Duke Energy Argentina that helped to financially fund the excavation of the skeleton.

Paleontologists have already dug up the dinosaur’s neck, back region, hips, and the first vertebra of its tail. The neck is estimated to be 56 feet long and the tail was about 49 feet long. The weight of the spinal column was 9 tons. Even though they have found most of its bones they still have to find the bones of its arms and legs. The other two largest dinosaurs were also found in Argentina. The Argentinosaurus was115 feet long and the Puertasaurus reuili was between 115 to 131 feet long.