Brazilian researchers have discovered a new species of dinosaur.
The fossilized bones of the animal, which now bears the name "Berthasaura leopoldinae", were found around ten years ago during excavations along a country road in the southern state of Paraná.
As the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro announced on Thursday, it is "one of the most complete Cretaceous dinosaurs ever found in Brazil".
The researchers were able to assign the well-preserved skeleton to the theropods.
Unlike most of the species in this group, the specimen from southern Brazil, which lived around 70 to 80 million years ago, has no teeth, but a beak.
The researchers announced that it was a young animal, about 80 centimeters high and one meter long.
“A whole series of questions remain unanswered,” said paleontologist Luiz Weinschütz to CNN Brasil.
“How did he eat?” The fact that the little dinosaur was toothless does not mean that it did not also eat meat. After all, birds like hawks and owls also have no teeth, but can easily tear meat.
“It is likely that it was omnivorous, also because of its habitat.
It was dry, desolate, there was a lack of food. "
The researchers named "Berthasaura leopoldinae" after two women: Bertha Lutz, a Brazilian scientist and feminist who died in 1976, and Maria Leopoldine, the Brazilian empress and supporter of natural sciences from the 19th century.
In addition, the name pays homage to the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school, which celebrated the centenary of the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro when it performed at Carnival 2018 - a few months before a fire destroyed large parts of the palace in São Cristóvão, where the largest of nature is - and Ethnographic Museum of South America.