New dinosaur species found in SAfrica by Magdalena Rosova

Recently discovered dinosaur species that lived about 200 million years ago may help scientists explain how the animals evolved into the largest ones on land.   The Aardonyx celestae was 7 meter long herbivore with small head and a huge chest. It walked on its hind legs but could also walk on all four, and scientist suppose that could be a missing evolutionary link.   Australian paleontologist Adam Yates told that no one has seen before this new spice which has very significant and important place in the family tree of dinosaurs.   Adam Yates was a leader of the research and his team consisted of a number of local and international scientists.  Their ! report was published Wednesday in the Proceedings of The Royal Society B, a London journal.   The Aarodnyx celestea species lived in the early Jurassic period. Yates said the found dinosaur was nearly 1.7 meters high and weighted about 500 kilograms. It was about 10 years old when it died, scientists suppose that his death was caused by drought.   The newly discovered dinosaur has many similar characteristics with the herbivores that walked on two legs but there are also similarities with dinosaurs known as sauropods and brontosaurs with long necks and tails, which were very big and went on all fours.   Paul Barrett, a paleontologist at the British Natural History Museum, told that the discovery helps to fill a gap in knowledge of sauropod evolution. Aardonyx is an example of how two-legged animal could start to acquire the specific features necessary for live on all-four.   The reason why and how dinosaurs grew into such massive sizes is a question th! at scientists are still not able to answer. Matthew Bonnan of ! Western Illinois University thins that walking on all fours allowed them to carry more weight. The dinosaur was discovered by postgraduate student Marc Blackbeard in central South Africa about five years ago.

related story (sgx15886): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/11/aardonyx-celestae-n...

by Magdalena Rosova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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