Text: | Print|

    New dinosaur species fossil discovered in NW China

    2014-06-06 17:09 Xinhua Web Editor: Mo Hong'e
    1
    According to the famous scientific journal Current Biology on June 6, 2014, sexually dimorphic tridimensionally preserved pterosaurs and their eggs are discovered in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.  [Photo: China News Service / Wang Xiaolin]

    According to the famous scientific journal Current Biology on June 6, 2014, sexually dimorphic tridimensionally preserved pterosaurs and their eggs are discovered in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo: China News Service / Wang Xiaolin]

    A team of international scientists has unearthed the fossil of a new species of pterosaur and its eggs, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Friday.

    The fossils were discovered in the city of Hami in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and date back to the Early Cretaceous period, said Wang Xiaolin, a researcher with the CAS who is in charge of the excavation.

    The pterosaurs were sexually dimorphic, and five of their eggs are three-dimensionally preserved, marking a first worldwide.

    Before their discovery, there had only been four flattened, two-dimensionally preserved pterosaur eggs.

    The team has named the new species Hamipterus tianshanensis after the place they were found.

    "Most of the fossils are relatively intact, and this is favorable for assembly of a complete pterosaur skeleton," Wang said.

    These fossils will shed new light on the reproduction, development, and behavior of pterosaurs, according to Wang.

    The new findings were published in the international core journal Current Biology in cooperation with Brazilian paleontologist Alexander Kellner and other scientists on Thursday.

    Comments (0)
    Most popular in 24h
      Archived Content
    Media partners:

    Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
    Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

    主站蜘蛛池模板: 密云县| 四平市| 九龙县| 集安市| 雷州市| 淮南市| 上思县| 安福县| 盈江县| 台南县| 武乡县| 奉节县| 陆良县| 巨鹿县| 宣城市| 六安市| 湘潭市| 昭平县| 八宿县| 五家渠市| 铜陵市| 济阳县| 光泽县| 义马市| 兴城市| 托克托县| 靖远县| 石景山区| 武威市| 淮南市| 千阳县| 江口县| 呼玛县| 华蓥市| 洪泽县| 龙川县| 沙田区| 黄大仙区| 城口县| 靖州| 青冈县|