Posted on 08/13/2003 9:02:05 PM PDT by nwrep
2 hours, 55 minutes ago
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By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM, Associated Press Writer
BOMBAY, India - U.S. and Indian scientists said Wednesday they have discovered a new carnivorous dinosaur species in India after finding bones in the western part of the country.
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The new dinosaur species was named Rajasaurus narmadensis, or "Regal reptile from the Narmada," after the Narmada River region where the bones were found.
The dinosaurs were between 25-30 feet long, had a horn above their skulls, were relatively heavy and walked on two legs, scientists said. They preyed on long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs on the Indian subcontinent during the Cretaceous Period at the end of the dinosaur age, 65 million years ago.
"It's fabulous to be able to see this dinosaur which lived as the age of dinosaurs came to a close," said Paul Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago. "It was a significant predator that was related to species on continental Africa, Madagascar and South America."
Working with Indian scientists, Sereno and paleontologist Jeff Wilson of the University of Michigan reconstructed the dinosaur skull in a project funded partly by the National Geographic (news - web sites) Society.
A model of the assembled skull was presented Wednesday by the American scientists to their counterparts from Punjab University in northern India and the Geological Survey of India during a Bombay news conference.
Scientists said they hope the discovery will help explain the extinction of the dinosaurs and the shifting of the continents how India separated from Africa, Madagascar, Australia and Antarctica and collided with Asia.
The dinosaur bones were discovered during the past 18 years by Indian scientists Suresh Srivastava of the Geological Survey of India and Ashok Sahni, a paleontologist at Punjab University.
When the bones were examined, "we realized we had a partial skeleton of an undiscovered species," Sereno said.
The scientists said they believe the Rajasaurus roamed the Southern Hemisphere land masses of present-day Madagascar, Africa and South America.
"People don't realize dinosaurs are the only large-bodied animal that lived, evolved and died at a time when all continents were united," Sereno said.
The cause of the dinosaurs' extinction is still debated by scientists. The Rajasaurus discovery may provide crucial clues, Sereno said.
India has seen quite a few paleontological discoveries recently.
In 1997, villagers discovered about 300 fossilized dinosaur eggs in Pisdura, 440 miles northeast of Bombay, that Indian scientists said were laid by four-legged, long-necked vegetarian creatures.
Indian scientists said the dinosaur embryos in the eggs may have suffocated during volcanic eruptions.
God and google. Cache is still better than credit.
Those who yearn for total agreement should read "A Wrinkle In Time" -- a so-called children's book, but one with lessons for all ages.
I guess someone was concerned. LOL.
Tell it to the Dictionary people. I did not create that definition.
Atheism is a faith-based religion.
The dread cliche 'rebuilding year' is being used. I think that means for 2003-2004, Nebraska is agnostic.
Until you get to the rent-a-car counter.
No, you selectively quoted it, plainly out of context.
Atheism is a faith-based religion.
If you say it one more time, does that strngthen the point?
Not anymore. It's all spic 'n span now. No threads at all complaining/bragging about being banned at other conservative forums. Nobody here but us eagles.
I apologise to everyone for posting a picture of a former Freeper. Not because it was stalking, but because it was counterproductive. I should have posted just the link to the site, since the site was heavily advertised by the former Freeper himself.
Breaking FR rules (JR's rules, not our agreement) is a legitimate topic of discussion and I will continue discussing it when it comes up.
It's really amazing how quickly a thread can degenerate when those who can't discuss science show up. Ditto for those who can discuss science but who choose to lurch back to the Nazi name-calling mode.
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