It's thunder thighs: Newest member of the dinosaurs is discovered in Utah

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Beast: The Brontomerus Mcintoshi is the newest member of the dinosaurs and was identified after bones, including a shoulder blade and pelvis, were discovered in Utah


Stalking and terrorising its pray, this computer generated image shows the newest member of the dinosaurs.

Named the Brontomerus Mcintoshi, the creature has been given the nickname 'thunder thighs' because of its huge legs and the translation of its name.

Remains of the creature were discovered recently in the American state of Utah by a team of British and American scientists.

They date from the early Cretaceous period, which began around 145million years ago and ended 65million years ago.

The remains included a juvenile's left ilium bone, which forms part of the pelvis, and also a near complete left scapula, or shoulder blade, of a larger, presumably adult, animal.

The scientists also found well preserved vertebrae from the creature as well as a complete rib bone.

They then used the bones they discovered to match certain known criteria to determine what species of dinosaur they came from.

Using five variables, and particularly focused on the size and other factors within the ilium bone, they confirmed it was from the Sauropod family.

It was the eighth discovery of remains from a member of that species in North America and there are expected to be more in the future.

Scientists believe they will find more because the number of dinosaurs within the land mass did not decline significantly at the end of the Jurassic period.

The findings were published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.


source: dailymail

Posted in: Science and Tech