S. Africa: New dinosaur species discovered

  1. Posted on Wednesday 11 November 2009 - 16:23
    Mernat
    Image of Mernat
    Mernat Mafirakurewa, AfricaNews reporter in Johannesburg, South Africa
    Scientists with Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa have discovered a new species of dinosaur. A media briefing by Australian Dr Adam Yates said the discovery follows five years of investigating. The dinosaur is estimated to be between 183 and 195 years old.
    dinosaur
    The discovery was made by a Wits postgraduate palaeontology student, Marc Blackbeard, who began excavating two sites in the Northern Free State, five years ago, under the leadership of Yates.

    "We knew that there was likely to be some fossils in these 'bone beds' discovered by James Kitching about 20 years ago, but we did not expect to find anything of this magnitude," said Yates. “This is one of the many jewels South Africa has,” he said.

    Yates believes the dinosaur was possibly half a ton (500 kilograms) and between 12 and 15 metres in length. He said it was a plant eater with small teeth adding that it had short forearms compared to its hind legs and has been named Aardonyx celestae, which means "Earth Claw" ("Aard" - Afrikaans for Earth, plus "Onyx" - Greek for claw.)

    Fossils from two Aardonyx were found, one which was 7m long and the other 9m long. Yates said the dinosaur shared traits of evolutionary precursors to the sauropods, which dominated the Jurassic period. Sauropods were plant eaters that walked on four-legs and dominated the Jurassic period. Aardonyx, by contrast, walked on two legs but is believed to have occasionally also used its forelegs to walk.

    "Aardonyx gives us a glimpse into what the first steps toward becoming a sauropod involved. It tells us the changeover was not smooth, and the evolution was complicated," Yates said.

Reactions

  1. Posted on Wednesday 18 November 2009 11:01
    Brennpunkt
    Image of Brennpunkt

    Herrmann
    3 berichten
    Lid sinds June 2009

    Please reconsider the age of this dinosaur!

Latest News

  1. AFCON: 46 hurt in Zambia victory celebrations09/02Over 40 casualty cases were recorded Wednesday night at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital (UTH) after post-match celebrations turned violent …
  2. African Peer Review Mechanism making progress08/02In 2003 the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the continental development plan, initiated the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM…
  3. Combating HIV infections among African women08/02With a lack of knowledge and power, African women continue to bear the brunt of HIV infections.
  4. Legume cultivation booms in Western Kenya07/02Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) who traditionally relied on seed companies for all their seeds are now bulking their own legume seeds for their farms.
  5. Malawi vendors chase out Chinese07/02Vendors in Kalonga, the Northern district of Malawi, on Wednesday petitioned the District Commissioner to flash out all Chinese nationals who are doin…
  6. Zim: Informal sector urged to join HIV battle05/02While the Harare City council is busy engaging in running battles with city vendors, Health Minister has called for authorities to devise ways to form…
  7. Elections: Wole Soyinka warns Mugabe, Wade03/02The Nigerian Nobel Prize winner for literature said heads of states who are trying to cling to power suffer the same fate as the dictators who were sw…
  8. AU elections rescheduled for June in Malawi01/02Following a deadlock during Monday's African Union elections, with a tie between former wife to South African president Jacob Zuma, Home Affairs …
  9. Senegal in turmoil as protest intensifies01/02Hundreds of anti-government protesters Tuesday gathered in the central Dakar, Senegal to show their dissatisfaction over the incumbent president Abdou…
  10. Zimbabwe’s inflation still favourable -…01/02Zimbabwe's annual headline inflation still compared favourably with economies in the region, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono said o…
  11. AFCON 2012: Sudan qualifies after four decades31/01The Sudanese national team has sealed a historic win over the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
  12. Senegalese opposition to intensify protests31/01Opposition and civil society groups in Senegal have vowed to increase their fight against incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade's presidential bid.
  13. Malawi: Rights coalition condemn stripping of…30/01The 39 members of the Solidarity for African Women's Rights Coalition based in 18 African countries have vehemently condemned the stripping of wo…
  14. Kenya to deworm five million children annually30/01Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, aiming to treat 5 million childre…
  15. Benin’s Yayi Boni is AU’s new…30/01President Yayi Boni of Benin Republic has been elected chairperson of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa
News archive