Dinosaurs come in all shapes and sizes but there has been nothing quite so unusual as a species found in the Patagonian fossil fields of Chile, scientists have said.
A study of the 150m-year-old remains of a Tyrannosaurus-like dinosaur showed that although it shares many of the features of its more fearsome carnivorous cousin, it grazed exclusively on plants.
Scientists studying the anatomy of Chilesaurus diegosuarezi said that it is the “platypus” of dinosaurs because of its bizarre combination of specialised features normally seen in quite unrelated animals – similar to the egg-laying, fur-covered features of the duck-billed platypus.
Although the species belonged firmly within the two-legged group of dinosaurs called the theropods, which include such well-known meat-eaters as T. rex, Velociraptor and Carnataurus, it is distinguished from the others by a long neck and proportionally small skull with flat, leaf-shaped teeth for grinding vegetable matter, the researchers said… see more
source: Independent UK
Tags: Chile, Science, vegetarian dinosaur
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