New Dinosaur Species Discovered

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Adapted from Scholastic News, by Nicholas Friedman, Edition 5/6, March 3, 1995

Scientists are excited about a recent discovery they made in Africa. Beneath the sands of the Sahara Desert, they found the bones of two new dinosaur species. One dino is a fierce meat eater with razor-sharp teeth. The other is a giant plant eater that measures 55 feet long.

The Hunter And The Hunted

Dr. Paul Sereno, a paleontologist from the University of Chicago, unearthed the dinos. He named the meat eater Afrovenator (ahf-ro-veh-NAY-tor), or "hunter from Africa."

The plant-eating dinosaur won't have a name until Dr. Sereno finds its complete skull. But Sereno says this new species might have been an irresistible meal for the speedy Afrovenators.

New Information

Why are scientists so excited about these two new species? For one thing, it means they will have new information about dinosaurs from Africa. Compared to other places in the world, very few of the prehistoric beasts have unearthed there.

New Theories

The new dinos may also change scientists' theories on when Earth's continents formed. At one time, all seven continents were connected together in one supercontinent called Pangaea (pan-JEE-uh). Then, about 180 million years ago, the continents began to break apart.

Now, Sereno thinks that Africa and North America may have stayed connected longer than scientists believe. That is because both Afrovenator and the plant eater look like dinos that lived in North America. And both are from a time long after scientists think Africa broke away from North America.

The Future

With all the excitement about Afrovenator and the plant eater, many scientists have made plans to dig in Africa. Dinosaur researcher Dale Russell is one of them. "Africa's going to provide us with a lot of entertainment in the years ahead," said Russell.

Nick Friedman is the editor-in-chief of Scholastic Parent & Child.

Digging Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs didn't just walk the Earth long ago -- they lived underground too! That's what scientists learned when they discovered the first species of a burrowing dinosaur. The discovery will go on display this summer at Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies.

Meet Dinosaur Expert Sue Hendrickson
Paleontologist and marine archaeologist Sue Hendrickson discovered the world's largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex in 1990.

Dinosaur
Provides detailed information on dinosaur history and classification.

LESSON PLAN	Global Trek Students travel to countries around the world without ever having to leave their classroom.
UNIT PLAN	Interdependence: A Colonial Example With this interdisciplinary approach to teaching about the transition to the New World, students give oral presentations from the perspective...