New dinosaur species with bizarre brow bone lived in Kyrgyzstan 165 million years ago
New dinosaur
A new dinosaur species has been discovered which walked the region of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia around 165 million years ago. Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus is the first theropod dinosaur found in this area. Kyrgyz palaeontologist Aizek Bakirov discovered the fossil of these dinosaurs for the first time in 2006 in the mountainous desert region near the city of Tashkumyr from the Balabansai Formation.
Notably, the name "kyrgyzicus" refers to the Kyrgyz Republic.
Most dinosaurs who were predators, such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus, belonged to the Theropod group of dinosaurs. It is one of the most important large group of dinosaurs. Several varieties of them also lived during the Mesozoic Era. These predators lived in specific regions on Earth.
However, no giant predatory dinosaurs had yet been found between central Europe and East Asia. But the new discovery changes this.
Bizarre eyebrow bone
Excavation work done in the region between 2006 and 2023 revealed different body parts of the dinosaur, such as skull bones, dorsal and pelvic vertebrae, fragments of the shoulder girdle and forelimbs.
Scientists also found an almost complete pelvic girdle and hind limbs of a dinosaur that was 8-9 metres long. Remains of a smaller Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus were also found at the site.
This dinosaur belongs to a previously unknown species and exhibits some fascinating body features. An unusual “eyebrow” bone is one of the most striking features of this dinosaur and likely held a horn once.
Other studies conducted show that the species belongs to the metriacanthosaurids, and is linked to the predatory dinosaurs of East Asia.
"This discovery closes a huge gap in our knowledge of the Jurassic theropods. It leads us to important new insights into the evolution and biogeography of these animals," Prof. Oliver Rauhut from the Bavarian Collection of Paleontology and Geology in Munich (SNSB-BSPG) said.
He is the first author of the study that has been published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
