Sensational find in Bavaria For the first time a complete dinosaur skeleton discovered in Europe Namenloser Raubdinosaurier: 72 Zentimeter langes Jungtier Zur Großansicht DPA
Nameless predatory dinosaurs: 72 inches long juvenile
From the largest discovery in Germany since the Archaeopteryx is the speech: In Bavaria, paleontologists have discovered the best-preserved dinosaur skeleton in Europe - 98 percent of the bones are present. One trick ensures that it can not leave the country. Info
Kelheim / Munich - Europe's best preserved dinosaur, the fossil has been discovered in Bavaria. The still unnamed predatory dinosaur (theropod) was 98 percent complete, and thus also one of the world's best-preserved finds, Oliver Rauhut, said curator at the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology , in Munich on Wednesday. The roughly 72-centimeter-long cub was lying in Kelheim, Lower Bavaria.
As a scientific sensation, the fossil is also because young animals are found extremely rarely, and even skin and hair pieces are still preserved. Now it is presented to the public, on 27 October at the Munich Mineral Show. It will then be on display for four days.
Under the leadership of an international team Rauhut created a first report on the sensational discovery. "The 135 million year old fossil is of paramount scientific importance," said the dinosaur expert. Many fossils have been found so far in China. "From a distance, see the often very completely. On closer examination, one sees, however, that the bones in preserving them is so great."
The new find is true only in two dimensions, but the bones and many anatomical details are very well preserved. Compared with other fossils 98 percent completeness are extremely good. "The best preserved Tyrannosaurus skeletons, we have, so about 80 percent and that is really outstanding," said Rauhut.
German culture
Theropods, which include the famous Tyrannosaurus, are among the rarest of dinosaur finds. A large part of the identified species is known only from fragmentary remains, said the spokesman for the Mineral, Dan Ravasz.
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The dinosaur was also a young one, you find only very rarely. "It is very difficult to know how old he was. A newly hatched Tyrannosaurus would have had about this size." He could also have been up to a year old. That it was a young animal, you look at the size of the skull, the proportions and the surface of the bone. Findings on young animals are particularly important for researchers to understand evolutionary mechanisms.
Even the hair findings are significant. Hair and fiber structures in dinosaurs have been around for years, the focus of many studies have since made them well during the first Archaeopteryx developed traditional springs. "In summary therefore say that this is probably the most significant new theropod fossil archosaurs on German soil since the discoveries of the ancient bird Archaeopteryx," said Rauhut.
The skeleton was found a year or two. For exact location and the owner, a German who wanted Ravasz any details. The fossil was registered as a German heritage. Although this reduces the financial value of drastically, and the dinosaurs may not leave the country. For this he is but the science in Germany and the public remain permanently. Presumably to the fossil, still get a scientific name must be later given as a loan to a museum.
Thanks Prospero.