The March 24 edition of PLoS ONE published the discovery of a well-preserved partial skeleton of a new dinosaur species, Seitaad ruessi.
Scientists believe that the specimen, discovered in the Navajo Sandstone in Utah, was buried alive by a collapsing sand dune. The rocks that held the skeleton are estimated to be 183 million to 190 million years old.
The dinosaur is 3 to 4 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet long. Research suggests that it mostly ate plants and could walk on two or four legs. Large, curved claws stand on its “thumbs,” and researchers are unclear what their functions are.
The skeleton is now housed in the Utah Museum of Natural History.
Scientists believe that the specimen, discovered in the Navajo Sandstone in Utah, was buried alive by a collapsing sand dune. The rocks that held the skeleton are estimated to be 183 million to 190 million years old.
The dinosaur is 3 to 4 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet long. Research suggests that it mostly ate plants and could walk on two or four legs. Large, curved claws stand on its “thumbs,” and researchers are unclear what their functions are.
The skeleton is now housed in the Utah Museum of Natural History.
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