An unpublished species of dinosaur was discovered at the paleontological site of Cruzeiro do Oeste, in western Paraná. The creature would have lived there 90 million years ago, in an estimate made by researchers from the State University of Maringá (UEM), the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Cruzeiro do Oeste Paleontological Museum.

Named Vespersaurus paranaensis, the beautiful animal was about five feet tall and was bipedal and carnivorous. The discovery proves that prehistoric beings inhabited the northwest of the state at least 30 million years before extinction - at the time, the place would be a desert.

The claws at the foot of the fossil. Source: Eduardo Cavalari / RPC / Reproduction

“It had a very peculiar feature that was a blade-shaped foot claw that he used to catch small prey. It was a small carnivorous animal that lived in the desert and had a light skeleton, just like birds do nowadays, ”explained researcher Max Langer, from USP Ribeirão Preto, to G1 .

The first time in Paraná

According to Langer, the fact that the giant has only one supporting finger on its paw makes identifying a new species "relatively easy, " because "no animal known in the world has these characteristics."

Note the resourcefulness of the piazote. Source: Rodolfo Nogueira / Globo / Reproduction

“This discovery is fantastic because it is the first dinosaur discovered and described here in Paraná. Besides, we have a carnivorous dinosaur, which is very rare to be found, to be preserved ”, celebrates the president of the Brazilian Society of Paleontology, Renato Pirani Ghilardi.

Unpublished species of dinosaur is discovered in Paraná via TecMundo