Fossilized dinosaur leg that was cut off by the Yucatan asteroid. ©Ancient Origins
Reporter: Hari Ariyanti
Merdeka.com – The Yucatan asteroid impacted Earth 66 million years ago ending the Cretaceous Period, or Age, which caused most of the dinosaur species to go extinct.
Climate change following the fall of the asteroid made the earth uninhabitable for the dinosaurs, leading to the extinction of the creatures that had roamed the earth for more than 100 million years.
For the first time, paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains of a dinosaur species killed by a direct impact from the Yucatan asteroid.
While excavating the Tanis fossil site in the state of North Dakota, known as the Hell Creek Formation, a team of explorers working under the direction of University of Manchester paleontologist Robert DePalma discovered the fossilized legs of Thescelosaurus, a lizard-like herbivore from the late Cretaceous Period.
Amazingly, the leg was still intact and still covered by petrified skin, quoted from Ancient Origins, Wednesday (15/2).
“It looks like an animal whose leg was torn off very quickly,” explained Professor Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum in London.
“There was no evidence of foot disease, no obvious pathology, no footprints taken, such as bite marks or missing parts.”
The Hell Creek Formation and the Tanis fossil site were formed after the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid, 66 million years ago. The Yucatan asteroid hit North America with seismic waves equivalent to those generated by an 11 magnitude earthquake.
Thescelosaurus apparently died instantly even though the asteroid’s point of impact was about 3,000 kilometers away.
Thescelosaurus was an early and direct victim of the Yucatan asteroid impact event, which ultimately killed not only the dinosaurs but up to 75 percent of the animal species living on the planet at the time.
The discovery of a severed dinosaur leg is groundbreaking, paleontologists say, because no other dinosaur fossil has ever been directly linked to the most catastrophic event in Earth’s history.
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Scientists Find Dinosaur Face, Still Intact with Skin
168 Million Years Old Dinosaur Species Footprints Found on Cave Roof
Scientists Say There Was Something Else Caused Dinosaurs To Be Extinct Before Asteroids Hit
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The Hell Creek Formation and the Tanis fossil site were formed after the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid, 66 million years ago. The Yucatan asteroid hit North America with seismic waves equivalent to those generated by an 11 magnitude earthquake.
Thescelosaurus apparently died instantly even though the asteroid’s point of impact was about 3,000 kilometers away.
Thescelosaurus was an early and direct victim of the Yucatan asteroid impact event, which ultimately killed not only the dinosaurs but up to 75 percent of the animal species living on the planet at the time.
The discovery of a severed dinosaur leg is groundbreaking, paleontologists say, because no other dinosaur fossil has ever been directly linked to the most catastrophic event in Earth’s history.
Also read:
The Ancestor of Coffee & Potato Trees Turns Out to be Stronger to Survive than Dinosaurs
Over 100 Dinosaur Eggs Found in Argentina, Many Embryos Still Intact
Scientists Find Dinosaur Face, Still Intact with Skin
168 Million Years Old Dinosaur Species Footprints Found on Cave Roof
Scientists Say There Was Something Else Caused Dinosaurs To Be Extinct Before Being Hit by Asteroids
Amateur Fossil Hunters Surprised to Find 100 Million Years Old Animal Skeletons
(mdk/sir)
