Recently, scientists have discovered a new species of theropod dinosaur. This is the closes species there is to the Tyrannosaurus rex. The group of researchers stated that they had uncovered some rare bones in the UK, which seem to be related to the iconic species.
All you need to know about the Vectaerovenator inopinatus
Research at the University of Southampton analyzed four bones found off the southern coast of mainland England. These bones come from the neck, tail, and back of a new dinosaur, that’s called Vectaerovenator inopinatus.
This one is thought to grow about 13 feet long, and he supposedly walked the Earth during the Cretaceous period – that’s about 115 million years ago. Scientists believe it is a theropod, which is a group of carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on two legs, and not on four.
We should mention that the dinosaur was named after the large space of air found in some of its bones. This space actually helped scientists connect it to theropods. These spaces of air – which we also find in modern-day birds – are extensions of the lungs which helped them breathe, and, at the same time, make the skeleton lighter.
The lead author of the study stated: “We were struck by just how hollow this animal was — it’s riddled with air spaces. Parts of its skeleton must have been rather delicate.” It seems that all the fossils come from the same animal, which was previously an unknown kind of dinosaur. This discovery was classified as a rare find.
The author of the study also stated that: “The record of theropod dinosaurs from the ‘mid’ Cretaceous period in Europe isn’t that great, so it’s been really exciting to be able to increase our understanding of the diversity of dinosaur species from this time.”
