[ad_1]
Getty / Tim Boyle
The Llukalkan was medium in size compared to the much larger T. rex (file photo).
Scientists from Patagonia, Argentina, have discovered a new dinosaur called Llukalkan aliocranianus in the local Mapuche language, or “the one who causes fear.”
The experts’ findings were published Wednesday and revealed that the large carnivorous dinosaur had horns, 16 feet long, had tiny toes and lived in South America 85 million years ago.
It also weighed between one and five tons, a size slightly smaller than an adult elephant. It was probably a formidable predator, with its large skull and a powerful bite.
The findings also indicate that it had better hearing than other dinosaurs in the abelisauridae family, so it was probably a more skilled hunter. It was alive during the Cretaceous period, the period before the extinction of the dinosaurs.
READ MORE:
* Godzilla vs. Kong: If this is the future of blockbusters, then cinema is doomed
* Meet cousin T. rex whom you could literally despise
* The tyrannosaurus rex had scaly skin and was not covered in feathers, according to a new study
“A peculiarity of this dinosaur is that it has cavities in the ear area that other abelisaurids did not have, which could have given this species different hearing abilities, possibly a greater auditory range”, Federico Gianechini, paleontologist at the National University of San Luis, from Argentina, and one of the lead authors of the study, told CNN.
“This, along with its keen sense of smell, would have given this species great capabilities as a predator.”
The Llukalkan is similar to the Tyrannosaurus rex in that they both had two very short legs and arms; however, the Llukalkan was medium in size compared to the T. rex, which was much larger.
“These dinosaurs were still testing new evolutionary pathways and were rapidly diversifying just before going completely extinct,” said Dr. Ariel Méndez of the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Paleontology and a study co-author in a press release.
The creature’s skull was near another carnivorous dinosaur, the Viavenator exxoni, an unusual occurrence.
“Llukalkan was a little smaller than Viavenator, although, if they lived together, they surely shared the same ecological niche and fed on the same prey, so they would have competed with each other and, why not, even eaten with each other”, Gianechini He said Reuters.
