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A unique eight-metre-long dinosaur skeleton - the so-called Lufengosaurus - has been found in China
Categories: Finds and rescue research abroad , Nálezy nejenom s detektorem v Číně
This May, a 180-million-year-old giant Lufengosaurus skeleton was discovered in Lu-Feng, southwest China. Apart from its impressive size, what makes it special is its preservation - it is 70 percent intact. According to experts, a living specimen could be up to eight metres long and weigh up to two tonnes.
"Such a nearly complete dinosaur fossil is a rare find worldwide," said the head of the Mr Wang Tao, head of the Lu-Feng Dinosaur Fossil Research Centre, added that his team now hopes to discover a dinosaur skull as well: "Based on the fossils discovered over several years, we believe it is a type of giant Lufengosaurus that lived here during the Early Jurassic," he said, adding that the centre is planning an emergency removal of the entire skeleton because it was found in a place with a high risk of soil erosion.
Finding fossils in such a well-preserved state is a very rare phenomenon in paleontology. Although Lunfegosaurus is one of the most famous dinosaurs in China, mainly because it was the first dinosaur to find itself on the postthe species only came to public attention in 2017 when a collagen protein was discovered preserved in the rib of a Lufengosaurus fossil.
This protein was 100 million years older than any previously discovered, the BBC reported at the time. Scientists also found traces of a mineral they believe came from the animal's blood. In 2018, a scientific study described osteomyelitis and an abscess in one of the Lufengosaurus found, which was likely bitten by a theropod.
Lufengosaurus is thought to be a quadrupedal herbivore, although there is not 100% agreement on this with regard to the peculiar shapes of the teeth. The skull of these dinosaurs is quite small - it measures about 25 cm in length. Colloquially, these dinasaurs were named as "Lufeng Lizards" - Lufeng lizards.
Earlier this year, another juvenile dinosaur skeleton from the same period was discovered in Lu-Feng. The fossil represents another exciting find and has surprised the scientific world as the skeleton does not match any other known dinosaur species to date.
Roman Nemec
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, bcfocus.co.uk, metro.co.uk
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