Let's create continuous conversations about climate change education: Spreading the Sediment of Science!
Hi, educators! Share your feedback on SubjectToClimate in a quick 20-min interview đŹ Sign up here
December 5, 2022
Youâve heard of the Ugly Duckling, right? Well, this newly discovered swan-like creature seems pretty similar. It lived 71 million years ago. The animal had sharp teeth as well as a beak and feathers. It probably couldnât fly, though. The creature is a dinosaur. Scientists call it a âswimming velociraptor.â
The bones of the new species were found in the Gobi Desert. It's believed to be the first prehistoric carnivore found with fin-like wings. The dinosaur has a body that can dive and hunt for fish. It isn't as big as a T-Rex, though. Scientists say this bird-like beast was just a foot long.
âI think a swimming Velociraptor is a pretty good characterization,â one of the study's co-authors told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). âBut in terms of what itâs doing, itâs certainly more like a penguin or shorebird in that itâs fishing.â
The dinosaur is called Natovenator polydontus. That means âswimming hunter with many teeth.â
The little predator lived about 5 million years before the dinosaur age ended. Its remains were found in 2008. Researchers first thought it was a mammal or lizard. However, CT scans confirmed it was a dinosaur.
Scientists say the find is part of research that shows that dinosaur species were more varied than once thought.
âDiscoveries like this confirm the growing idea that dinosaurs were more diverse than the âterrible lizardsâ depicted in the popular media,â a scientist told the WSJ.
Reconstructed photo by Sungjin Lee et al. courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.