Paleontologists in Argentina discovered a new species of Megaraptor dinosaur, along with a stunning hint of what she ate. Named Joaquinraptor CasaliThe apex predator apparently ate crocodiles, deciding from a leg bone found in his mouth.
As the name shows, Megaraptors were a carnivorous dinosaur clone that looked like a giant version of the Raptors famous Jurassic Park; In this case, researchers appreciate this Joaquinraptor was more than 7 meters (23 feet) long, the nose to the tail and weighed more than 1000 kilograms (2200 pounds).
Without tyranauros in that part of the world, Joaquinraptor It would probably have been life at the top of the food chain. This Fossil finds include some direct evidence of the megaraptor diet so far, which seem to include ancient crocodile ancestors.
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“Interestingly we have recovered the humerus between the lower jaw bone JoaquinraptorOffer, although not proving that the new Megaraptor could eat crocodile -form when he died, “Lucio Ibiricu, a paleontologist at the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Paleontology (IPGP), said.
Researchers recognize that the bone of the legs may have accessed another path, possibly washed into the dead Megaraptor underwater. However, given that the bone not only touches some of the predator’s teeth, but also has tooth markings, it seems that some interaction is likely. Both beings could also fight for other food sources.
Perhaps Joaquinraptor Just balanced the summary of all crocodiles, it is suspected that he sank into dinosaurs.
Crocodiliform leg bone and Megaraptor jaw as they were initially found. (Ibiricu et al., Nat. Usual. 2025)
Investigators assessed the age of this person when he died in his bone microstructure. That Joaquinraptor It seems to have been sexually mature, but not yet completely grew up.
“Miciously based on the microstructure of the tibial fragment Joaquinraptor And there would be a detection of retardations (arrested growth lines) and assuming that the retardation corresponds to the annual deposited structures (eg. Joaquinraptor An example, “Sciencealert told Ibiricu.
Although paleontologists found only his jaw pieces, skull, front limbs, legs and several tail vertebrae, it is one of the most detailed copies of the MegaPTOR, discovered so far. Thus, adding a new species to the list of dinosaurs living in ancient Patagonia, Joaquinraptor could help scientists fill some gaps in this little planned clade.
Although the northern plots of land were dominated by huge tyranauros, their absence in the south meant the Raptors developed to fill the role of a predator in South America and Australia.
And it seems that these animals could fill that niche until the final disappearance event. Residues Joaquinraptor It was dated for about 68 million years, so it was one of the youngest known Megaraptors, whose reign could continue if it was not space intervention.
Paleontologist Marcelo Luna has Megaraptor Claw. (Marcelo Luna)
Looked T. RexGive hands are ashamed.
“For megarapors, among other aspects, it is characterized by powerful front limbs with hypertrophic nails on the first and second digits,” Ibiricu said.
“So her nails could have played an important ecological role. For example, megarapists could use these nails … To achieve soft tissues and / or to help capture and manipulation of prey.”
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The study was published in the magazine Nature relationships;