Mexico City (AFP)
Mexican paleontologists have identified a new species of dinosaur, a priori peaceful and communicative, from a specimen found in northern Mexico, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced Thursday.
"72 or 73 million years ago, a colossal herbivorous dinosaur died in what must have been a body of sediment-rich water, so its body was quickly covered with earth and could be preserved through the ages, ”says INAH in a statement.
This is the species Tlatolophus galorum.
The word Tlatolophus is derived from the words tlahtolli, in the Nahua language, and lophus, in Greek, which mean word and crest respectively.
Its tail was discovered in 2013 in the municipality of General Cepeda, in the state of Coahuila (northern Mexico).
Scientists, continuing the excavations, then found 80% of his skull, its crest of 1.32 meters, as well as bones such as the femur and the scapula, which allowed them to define "in 2021" which 'this is a new species of dinosaur, the INAH said.
“We know that they had ears capable of receiving low-frequency sounds, so they must have been peaceful but communicative dinosaurs,” also suggests the Institute.
Paleontologists also believe they "made loud sounds to scare carnivores or for breeding purposes", and believe that "the ridges were brightly colored."
The discovery was published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research, specifies the INAH.
© 2021 AFP