Chilesaurus diegosuarezi (Photo : Reuters)
A Chilean boy has found the Show and Tell item of a lifetime. Diego Suarez, 7, has discovered a fossil that is from a new dinosaur species. Scientists worldwide are calling the turkey-size vegetarian, which is T-Rex's cousin, one of the "most bizarre" species ever.
Suarez found a dinosaur bone while he was playing outdoors with his sister. His parents, who are both geologists, were examining rock formations in southern Chile's Andes mountains.
After paleontologists arrived at the site they discovered the bones of over a dozen dinosaurs, which included four skeletons that are almost complete. The new species, Chilesaurus diegosuarezi, was named after its location and discoverer.
Chilesaurus lived during the Jurassic Period around 45 million years ago. It was usually the size of a turkey, but could grow up to 10 feet long.
Also, Chilesaurus had two feet, large arms, and only two fingers on each hand. Its pelvis resembles the hip section of birds.
The species is a relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, according to Fox News. But unlike the huge dinosaur, Chilesaurus was a plant-eater and had a skull and feet unlike those of T-rex.
The new dinosaur species could also change how scientists understand bird evolution. Chilesaurus is an ancestor of birds, yet went vegetarian much earlier than scientists previously thought, according to The Week.
Fernando Novas is a paleontologist of a National Science Museum located in Buenos Aires. He says that Chilesaurus has features of different dinosaur groups, creating a unique "combination" of physical characteristics.
Martin Ezcurra, paleontologist at the University of Birmingham, also explains that Chilesaurus might be a result of "convergent evolution." This is a process during which two different species develop similar features due to similar environments or behavior.
The discovery of the new dinosaur species was reported Monday in the journal Nature.
