Paleontologists in Australia have made two significant discoveries in Victoria’s ancient coastline. The team identified the oldest known megaraptorid fossils, pushing back the timeline for this group of theropods by millions of years. Additionally, they uncovered definitive evidence of carcharodontosaurs, a previously unknown theropod group in Australia.
The discovery was made at two locations: the upper Strzelecki Group (121.4-118 million years old) and the Eumeralla Formation (113-108 million years old). Five theropod dinosaur fossils were found, which reveal that Victoria’s ancient ecosystem was a complex predator landscape dominated by megaraptorids.
Megaraptorids, measuring 6-7 meters in length, were medium to large-sized theropods with sickle-shaped claws on their second toe. These dinosaurs likely used their claws for slashing and tearing prey. The ecosystem also included smaller carcharodontosaurs, ranging from 2 to 4 meters in length.
The findings are significant because they show that Australia’s dinosaur fauna played a vital role in the larger Gondwanan ecosystem. The presence of megaraptorids in Australia pushes back their known timeline and provides insights into their evolution. Furthermore, the discovery of carcharodontosaurs in Australia highlights the uniqueness of this Cretaceous ecosystem.
The research was led by Museums Victoria Research Institute and Monash University. The study demonstrates that museum collections are essential for scientific breakthroughs. The team will continue to explore fossil sites where the large megaraptorid was found under the Dinosaur Dreaming project, which has already yielded over 10,000 fossils representing diverse prehistoric life.
The discovery of these ancient fossils provides new insights into Australia’s unique Cretaceous fauna and challenges previous assumptions about body-size hierarchies in Gondwanan predator ecosystems. The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/double-jackpot-australia-finds-oldest-190000562.html