Introduction:
Palaeontologists from Argentina have recently announced the discovery of a new medium-sized herbivorous dinosaur, Chakisaurus Nekul, that once lived about 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in present-day Patagonia. This new species of dinosaur was discovered in the Pueblo Blanco Natural Reserve, an area rich in fossils located in the southern province of Río Negro, Argentina.
Description:
Chakisaurus Nekul is estimated to have reached a length of 2.5 to 3 meters (8 to 10 feet) and a height of 70 centimeters (27 inches). This bipedal herbivore had some unique features, such as a tail that was unusually curved downward, unlike other dinosaurs that had horizontal tails. According to Rodrigo Álvarez, the author of the study, this new species had a “tail that among its most important characteristics had a tail that, unlike other dinosaurs, which was horizontal, had a downward curvature.”
Studies and Significance:
According to the studies, Chakisaurus Nekul was a fast runner and had powerful hind limbs that allowed it to maneuver its tail to the sides, providing balance during races. This feature was crucial for its survival as it lived among a large number of predators and its only defense was to be faster than them.
The dinosaur’s name is derived from Chaki, a word from the Aonikenk language of the indigenous Tehuelche people, which means “old guanaco,” a reference to a medium-sized herbivore mammal found in the region. Nekul means “fast” or “agile” in the Mapudungún language of the local Mapuche people.
Discovery:
A team of Argentine paleontologists, with the support of the National Geographic Society, made the discovery initially in 2018, but recently unveiled their finding in the journal Cretaceous Research.
Conclusion:
The discovery of Chakisaurus Nekul provides further insights into the diverse range of dinosaurs that once roamed Patagonia. Its unique features, such as its unusually curved tail, highlight the various adaptations that dinosaurs evolved to survive in their environments.
SEO Optimization:
Title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags should all include “Chakisaurus Nekul,” “herbivorous dinosaur,” “Patagonia,” “Cretaceous period,” and “new species.” Additionally, the content should use Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords such as “dinosaur discovery,” “fossils,” “Pueblo Blanco Natural Reserve,” and “Argentina.”
References:
Argentine palaeontologists Rodrigo Alvarez and Sebastian Rozadilla look at fossils of the Chakisaurus nekul, a newly-discovered herbivorous dinosaur at the Buenos Aires’ Natural Science museum, in Buenos Aires, Argentina April 24, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters.
Original Content:
Palaeontologists from Argentina announced the discovery of a new medium-sized herbivorous dinosaur, which was a fast runner and lived about 90 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period in present day Patagonia.
The animal, named Chakisaurus nekul, was found in the Pueblo Blanco Natural Reserve, in the southern province of Río Negro, an area rich in fossils where many mammals, turtles, and fish have been found along with other species of dinosaur. (…) The dinosaur’s name derives from Chaki, which is a word from the Aonikenk language, of the indigenous Tehuelche people, which means “old guanaco”, a reference to a medium-sized herbivore mammal found in the region. Nekul means “fast” or “agile” in the Mapudungún language, of the local Mapuche people.
