Chilesaurus diegosuarezi could probably reach three meters long. This herbivorous dinosaur was related to theropods, a large group of bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs whose best-known example is the T-Rex. His first fossilized remains were found in Chile in 2004 but it took the discovery of other skeletons to understand that it was a single species. © University of Birmingham
A strange dinosaur Chile, both T- Rex and vegetarian – 3 Photos
As a result of Jurassic Park will be out soon on our screens, published in the Nature reported the discovery of a fossil of a new species of dinosaurs that shows that life itself can produce results referring to the Jurassic World . In the Steven Spielberg film, we imagine in fact that geneticists have created a unique dinosaur in the history of the biosphere by mixing several characteristics of dinosaurs to give a more impressive hybrid animal that T-ReX or Spinosaurus. It’s a bit what evolution seems to have done with Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as.
Chilesaurus diegosuarezias lived during the Jurassic, like many celebrities animals Jurassic Park . The rest of this legendary film due out June 10 in France. © Universal Pictures France , YouTube
A Chilean dinosaur from the Late Jurassic
Since the beginning of its name indicates the new species was discovered in Chile and, as is often the case, the second part of the name honors its discoverer. This probably holds the record for the youngest amateur paleontologist because it is a child of 7 years: Diego Suárez. His find, he realized he was accompanying his two field geologists parents.
Manuel Suarez de la Cruz and Rita were not prospecting for fossils in the formation exposed near Toqui Aysen, a region of southern Chile as part of the Patagonia. Their goal was to understand the Andean orogeny with the rocks they could find in this formation. It dated Tithonian, the third and last floor Upper Jurassic stratigraphic. It extends from -152 to -145,000,000 years or so. It precedes the Kimméridgien that can be explored in France for example the site of Cerin.
A reconstruction of the alleged appearance of Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as. Mixtures of features we see clearly reminiscent of a T-Rex but that would be a vegetarian. © University of Birmingham
A convergent evolution
At first, the fossilized remains of Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as seemed to belong to different species of dinosaurs. But gradually, paleontologists realized they were from the same species. He still took it to discover the remains of a dozen other individuals including four nearly complete skeletons.
Most seem to come from animals the size of a turkey but some of the bones found suggest that Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as could reach three meters long . The discovery is particularly remarkable: Once reconstituted, Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as appears to possess herbivore dinosaur head mounted on a carnivorous dinosaur body reminding the T-Rex.
A jaw fragment Chilesaurus diegosuarezi ace. The characteristics of a herbivore teeth are visible. © University of Birmingham
As its teeth indicate, it was indeed a herbivore. Yet his skeleton also shows that it is part of the theropods, a group of dinosaurs including almost all predatory dinosaurs, especially the famous Velociraptor and Allosaurus. This is not the first time that we discover herbivorous theropod but according to researchers, Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as is the most extreme case of a mosaic character forged by convergent evolution.
Recall is meant by the term evolutionary convergence presence in two species of similar characteristics, the same adaptation, but that was not inherited from an ancestor common. It results from two independent developments in one type of environment. In other words, the laws of physics and biology restrict the choices adaptive solutions for a given environmental constraints. One can easily be convinced with the example of the body hydrodynamics of dolphins and ichthyosaurs that are not related because the former are mammals and marine reptiles seconds.
According to paleontologist Martin Ezcurra, co-author of Nature and researcher at the University of Birmingham, Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as “is one of the most interesting cases of convergent evolution documented in the history of life”
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