A study recently approved for publication in the February 2023 issue of the journal South American Journal of Earth Sciences provides An entirely new scenario for the diversity of dinosaurs and birds in Chilean Patagonia, during the Upper Cretaceous. In paleontology, this period is marked by the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs by the impact of a large asteroid that crashed into Chicxulub, Mexico.

The fossils, collected by a team from the University of Texas at Austin in the United States, refer to the first record of theropods in ecosystems at high latitudes south of the planet. This bipedal dinosaur suborder includes: giant megaraptors with large sickle-shaped claws to several bird species including some extant families.

These findings are important for re-evaluating hypotheses about events that may have driven nearly three-quarters of all life on Earth to extinction. However, some more recent studies suggest that dinosaur diversity was already in decline before the famous extinction event. But none of the propositions contained records from the Southern Hemisphere.

How was the study of theropods done in Patagonia?

Focusing on theropod fossils dating from 66 to 75 million years ago, collection of materials before the asteroid impact It started in 2017 when several undergraduate and graduate students from the Geological Sciences at UT Austin joined the Chilean collaborators in Patagonia.

One of the two main groups of theropods one of the megaraptorslarge carnivores reaching 8 meters in length and considered the largest non-avian dinosaurs to have lived in South America during the Upper Cretaceous. other group, unenlagiinae They were close “relatives” of velociraptors and ranged in size from that of a domestic chicken to 3 meters in height.

importance of research

According to lead author Sarah Davis, this study could help explore the theory that the Southern Hemisphere faces less intense climatic consequences than those in the Northern Hemisphere.

Marcelo Leppe, co-author and director of the Chilean Antártico Institute, said in a statement. These records of the past are the key to understanding life in the present..

Theropods still exist here – no longer as majestic dinosaurs as megaraptorids – like the diversity of birds found in the forests, lagoons and swamps of Patagonia, Antarctica and Australia,” he concludes.

ARTICLE South American Journal of Earth Sciences – DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2022.104163.

Source: Tec Mundo

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I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.

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