High in the Andes Mountains, scientists in Argentina have unearthed a piece of prehistory.
The fossilised remains of one of the world’s oldest dinosaurs have been discovered.
The small, long-necked creature was named Huayracursor Jaguensis.
It was discovered nearly 3,000 meters (almost 10,000 feet) above sea level in Argentina’s northwest. Researchers at CONICET announced this week.
The find is remarkably well-preserved. It includes part of its skull, a full vertebral column stretching down to the tail, and almost complete limbs.
“This species walked the Earth between 230 and 225 million years ago,” said paleontologist Agustin Martinelli, one of the study’s authors.
“It is one of the oldest dinosaurs we know.”
Early Dinosaur Discovery
The discovery, published in Nature, could help scientists better understand how early dinosaurs evolved.
Huayracursor Jaguensis lived during the late Triassic period — a pivotal era when the first dinosaurs and mammal ancestors emerged.
But unlike the colossal plant-eaters it’s distantly related to, this dino was petite: just two meters long and weighing around 18 kilograms (40 pounds).
Imagine — a dinosaur the size of a Labrador, roaming a world that was just beginning to belong to its kind.
Millions of years later, its bones resurface in the Andes — a whisper from the dawn of the dinosaur age.
