Эртний Антарктидын бүс нутагт амьдарч байсан урт хүзүүт, өвсөн тэжээлт үлэг гүрвэлийн үлдэгдлийг олон арван жилийн дараа шинжлэх ухааны шинэ судалгаагаар илрүүллээ.
1985 онд геологич Майк Томсоны удирдсан экспедицийн үеэр Антарктидын Жеймс Росс арлаас олдсон үлэг гүрвэлийн сүүлний ясны хэлтэрхийг тухайн үед том биетэй мөлхөгчийнх хэмээн ангилж, Британийн Антарктидын судалгааны цуглуулгад хадгалжээ. Олон жил мартагдсан энэхүү олдворыг палеонтологич Марк Эванс дахин судалж, орчин үеийн шинжилгээний аргаар титанозавр хэмээх урт хүзүүт үлэг гүрвэлийн бүлэгт хамаарахыг тогтоосон байна. Энэхүү судалгааны үр дүнг Acta Palaeontologica Polonica сэтгүүлд нийтэлжээ.
Судалгаагаар уг үлэг гүрвэл нь Цэрдийн галавын сүүлч үед амьдарч байсан бөгөөд биеийн урт нь ойролцоогоор 7 метр байсан гэж үзэж байна. Энэ нь тус тивээс олдсон хоёр дахь сауропод үлэг гүрвэлийн биеийн олдвор бөгөөд тухайн үед Антарктид одоогийнхоос илүү дулаан, ой модтой, амьдрахад таатай орчин байсныг баталж байна. Эрдэмтдийн таамаглаж буйгаар тус үлэг гүрвэл залуу бодгаль байсан байж болзошгүй бөгөөд бие нь далайн эргээс хөвж ирээд далайн ёроолд хадгалагдан үлдсэн байх магадлалтай ажээ.
Энэхүү нээлт нь өмнө нь энгийн мэт санагдаж байсан олдворууд орчин үеийн шинжлэх ухааны дэвшилтэт арга техникийн ачаар хэрхэн шинэ мэдээллийг илрүүлж болохыг харуулж байна. Олдворыг цуглуулсан Майк Томсон 2020 онд таалал төгссөн тул өөрийн олсон олдворын үнэ цэнийг мэдэж чадаагүй ч, энэхүү олдвор нь Антарктидын геологийн түүхийг ойлгоход чухал хувь нэмэр оруулж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A dinosaur fossil collected in Antarctica in 1985 has been identified decades later as belonging to a titanosaur, a group of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs. The discovery, hidden for years in a British Antarctic Survey collection, offers new evidence of the ancient life that once existed on a continent now covered in ice.
The fossil is a fragment of a dinosaur tail bone discovered on James Ross Island during an expedition led by geologist Mike Thomson. At the time, he was studying the region’s rock layers and collecting fossils to help researchers understand the geological history of Antarctica.
The specimen was originally classified as belonging to a large reptile and was placed into storage, where it remained unnoticed for decades. Years later, paleontologist Mark Evans came across the mysterious bone in the British Antarctic Survey collections and began to question its true identity. After detailed analysis and comparisons with other fossils, researchers uncovered a surprising answer.
The findings were published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. According to the study, the fossil represents a titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Antarctica, adding a rare piece of evidence to the limited record of dinosaurs from the southern polar region.
A Rare Dinosaur Discovery Beneath The Antarctic Ice
The fossils are difficult to find in Antarctica because much of the continent is covered by ice, making exploration challenging. The newly identified fossil is unusual because it comes from a region that once looked completely different from the frozen landscape known today.
“This discovery represents only the second sauropod body fossil known from Antarctica, although it was the first dinosaur bone to be collected from the continent,” explained the authors.
When this dinosaur lived millions of years ago, Antarctica had forests and supported a variety of living organisms. The continent was a much warmer and more suitable environment for dinosaurs than it is now. Study co-author Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum in London described the ancient landscape as a “rather different and much more hospitable place than we think of today.”
The discovery shows how a fossil that once seemed ordinary can reveal unexpected information decades later, as new research methods and scientific knowledge allow researchers to uncover details that were previously hidden.
A Small Titanosaur With An Unknown Fate
The dinosaur represented by the fossil was estimated to have been around 23 feet (7 meters) long. Compared with many other titanosaurs, which could grow much larger, this animal was relatively small. The study team believe it may have been a young individual when it died.
As stated in the latest research, scientists have not yet determined the exact species of the dinosaur because only a section of the tail has been identified. The limited remains make it impossible to fully reconstruct the animal or determine more details about its life.
The researchers also do not know what caused the dinosaur’s death. They believe its body may have drifted away from the coast before sinking to the ocean floor, where it was eventually preserved in marine rock. According to the research team, the fossil provides valuable information about how dinosaur remains could be preserved in Antarctica’s geological record, despite the difficult conditions that affect discoveries there today.
Modern Research Solves a Fossil Mystery
The identification of the dinosaur was made possible by advances in paleontology. New technologies allow scientists to study fossil structures in greater detail and compare them with a wider range of specimens.
When Mike Thomson discovered the bone in 1985, researchers did not have access to the same analytical tools available today. The fragment remained unidentified until Evans and his colleagues returned to the collection and investigated its characteristics. However, he died in 2020 before learning that the specimen he collected was a dinosaur fossil.
“If he were still with us, he would be delighted to know what this was,” Evans said.
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