Paleontologists working high in a remote range of Antarctic mountains have found a new species of primitive dinosaur dating back to nearly 200 million years ago — a time when one of the coldest parts of the world was a temperate forest.
William Hammer of Augustana College found the new creature — a four- to five-foot ornithischian or bird-hipped dinosaur that he believes is related to the fabrosaur or heterodontosaur.
These dinosaurs were the forerunners of the bigger and more spectacular ornithischians like stegosaurus, ankylosaurus and the duck-billed dinosaurs.
The fossils came from a site on Mount Kirkpatrick, in the Central Trans-Antarctic Mountains, which divide east and west Antarctica. It's the same place where Hammer and colleagues found Antarctica's first dinosaur in 1990 — the 22-foot, meat-eating Cryolophosaurus, or "frozen crested reptile."
Hammer found more parts of that dinosaur as well as a large sauropod, or plant-eater, resembling a diplodocus, and the new, as-yet-undescribed ornithischian.
"I don't know if we have a head, but we have a leg and a foot," he said. "It will take us a year to get a handle on what we've got."
Hammer and several fellow researchers camped at Beardmore Glacier at 6,600 feet for nearly two months. Each day fossil-hunting crews would be flown up by helicopter to the fossil beds at 12,500 feet elevation.
The new find could fill in gaps in the evolution of dinosaurs as well as the Antarctic environment, according to Thomas Holtz, professor of geology at the University of Maryland.
"This is a time when dinosaurs had just taken over," Holtz said. "They are the rabbits of the plant-eating dinosaurs: small, common, fairly fast, and they didn't have a lot of armor. They almost never show up in the movies or nobody makes plastic toys of them, but they are the stock from which the greatest plant-eating dinosaurs evolved."
Fossil-hunting in Antarctica is extremely difficult. Scientists have only a three-month window to work each year before the long winter sets in, and that window can be shortened by how hard it is to get there.
Hammer said he had been trying to return to the site since he found the earlier dinosaurs in 1990, but a 2003 visit was cut short because of bad weather and helicopter problems.
"Anytime we can find fossils there it's a brand new species," Holtz said. It's not like some random farmer can stumble across something in the ground, it's practically unexplored territory."
FAQs
Paleontologists working high in a remote range of Antarctic mountains have found a new species of primitive dinosaur dating back to nearly 200 million years ago — a time when one of the coldest parts of the world was a temperate forest.
What dinosaurs existed 200 million years ago? ›
The first theropods appeared more than 200 million years ago. Sauropods: Giant, long-necked, plant-eating sauropods flourished in the Jurassic but died out 65 million years ago.
Were any dinosaurs preserved in ice? ›
Answer and Explanation: There have been no significant dinosaur finds in any ice or permafrost. Dinosaur remains are found in sedimentary rocks and have to be excavated by removing rock from around the fossil cast.
What animals were alive 200 million years ago? ›
Globally at around 200 million years ago, in what's known as the Early Jurassic, small and agile two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs called theropods roamed the ancient landscapes. In southern Africa, we know of their existence from their rare body fossils but also, importantly, from their fossil footprints.
Which dinosaurs lived in the ice? ›
Dinosaurs absolutely did live in areas that got snow and had extended cold periods. Yes. There have been dinosaurs found in the arctic (Nanuqsaurus, pachyrhinosaurus I think). Cryolophosaurus was found in Antarctica, but it wasn't as cold there as it is now.
Did humans exist with dinosaurs? ›
The study says that early mammals evolved before a massive asteroid hit the planet 66 million years ago and therefore lived briefly with dinosaurs. A new study published in the journal Current Biology says that human ancestors did live with dinosaurs for a short time before the beasts went extinct.
Were humans alive during dinosaurs? ›
No! After the dinosaurs died out, nearly 65 million years passed before people appeared on Earth. However, small mammals (including shrew-sized primates) were alive at the time of the dinosaurs.
What dinosaur survived the ice age? ›
Birds: Birds are the only dinosaurs to survive the mass extinction event 65 million years ago. Frogs & Salamanders: These seemingly delicate amphibians survived the extinction that wiped out larger animals. Lizards: These reptiles, distant relatives of dinosaurs, survived the extinction.
What killed dinosaurs the ice age? ›
Sixty-six million years ago, dinosaurs had the ultimate bad day. With a devastating asteroid impact, a reign that had lasted 180 million years was abruptly ended.
Did ice age wipe out dinosaurs? ›
A very severe ice age could have altered climates and froze waters to the extent that dinosaurs were unable to weather the conditions, and slowly died out. This theory has been largely discarded for one simple reason: scientists have not found any evidence of an ice age occurring during the life of the dinosaurs.
For approximately 120 million years—from the Carboniferous to the middle Triassic periods—terrestrial life was dominated by the pelycosaurs, archosaurs, and therapsids (the so-called "mammal-like reptiles") that preceded the dinosaurs.
Is a crocodile a dinosaur? ›
Despite their resemblance to dinosaurs, crocodiles are not directly related to them. However, crocodiles and dinosaurs do share an ancient family member from a group called archosaurs. Interestingly, modern birds are also members of the archosaur group, making them distant relatives of crocodiles.
When did humans first appear? ›
Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa. Most scientists currently recognize some 15 to 20 different species of early humans.
Did Antarctica have dinosaurs? ›
Before penguins ruled Antarctica, dinosaurs roamed across what was then a forested continent, migrating over from Australia and other land masses that were connected to it at the time. Several Antarctic dinosaurs have already been found, including an armored ankylosaur and a handful of birdlike dinosaurs.
Did dinosaurs exist in snow? ›
Geographic evidence, histological evidence, and ontogenetic evidence suggest that dinosaurs survived in a multitude of different climates, including snowy, wintery ones.
Did any dinosaurs live in snow? ›
Since the turn of the century, the careful work of paleontologists has revealed an increasing body of evidence that some dinosaurs thrived in environments that included cold winters, like the polar regions. During major portions of the age of the dinosaurs, the Earth was, overall, much warmer than it is today.
What dinosaurs lived 220 million years ago? ›
Dinosaurs in the late Triassic
- Chindesaurus.
- Coelophysis.
- Coloradisaurus.
- Eoraptor.
- Guaibasaurus.
- Herrerasaurus.
- Liliensternus.
- Lycorhinus.
The earliest known dinosaurs appeared during the Triassic Period (approximately 250 to 200 million ago). Dinosaurs evolved into a very diverse group of animals with a vast array of physical features, including modern birds. Contrary to what many people think, not all dinosaurs lived during the same geological period.
What animals lived 250 million years ago? ›
About 250 million years ago, the Lissamphibians (frogs, salamanders and caecilians) were probably only just emerging. The waterways were instead filled with a different, distinct group of amphibians known as the Temnospondyls. These were much larger animals, some of which grew up to four metres in length.
Were there dinosaurs 200000 years ago? ›
Abundant fossil bones, teeth, trackways, and other hard evidence have revealed that Earth was the domain of the dinosaurs for at least 230 million years. But so far, not a single trace of dinosaur remains has been found in rocks younger than about 66 million years.
