The Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) may have been the go-to dinosaur we thought of in terms of a large body and tiny arms, however, archaeologists have since discovered a new predatory beast with similarly proportioned appendages.
While the new carnivorous dino, called the Gualicho shinyae, is comparable to the T-Rex, it is not closely related to the T-Rex, so it is suggested that its tiny arms evolved separately and independently from the famous dinosaur. This dinosaur lived in the Cretaceous Period, 90 million years ago. Because of its tiny arms, it relied on its sharp teeth for hunting purposes. It was bipedal and walked upright, and could run at considerable speeds.
Although the theropod was the size of a polar bear and weighed about one ton, its forelimbs were about the size of a human child’s.
Peter Makovicky of The Field Museum in Chicago said:
“It’s really unusual—it’s different from the other carnivorous dinosaurs found in the same rock formation, and it doesn’t fit neatly into any category.”
The expedition itself faced several bouts of bad luck, which made the scholarship of the dinosaur a difficult one. The fossils were originally found on the property of a sheep rancher, who took 8 years to persuade before he would allow the archaeologists to dig them up. Scientists also had to wait for a new political regime before they were allowed to study the fossils intensely.
The team also faced a car accident, and a truck carrying them rolled over. Luckily no one was hurt, but it contributed to the bad luck all around.
Discovered in Patagonia, it is named for the evil spirit Gualicho, who is said to bring bad luck according to the indigenous people of the region.
Despite the bad luck, this remains a huge success and step forward for the study of dinosaurs. However, scientists still aren’t sure how it evolved.
“Something totally new has been discovered, a new lineage that we didn’t know of before. Why did this specie have a reduction regarding the size of their arms, having only two fingers similar to a Tyrannosaurus? That’s something that we still don’t know.” said team member and paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguia.
It was discovered in Argentina.
Sources:
BBC