Friday, March 5th, 2010

An Older Proto-Dino

A life reconstruction of Asilisaurus kongwe, a close dinosaur relative, from the Middle Triassic of Africa. Marlene Hill Donnelly, Field Museum.

Researchers report finding fossil remains of a 'proto-dinosaur' some 10 million years older than previously known. The new species, named Asilisaurus kongwe, was discovered in southern Tanzania. The animals are of a group known as silesaurs, the closest relatives of dinosaurs. Each stood about 1.5 to 3 feet tall at the hips, were 3 to 10 feet long, and weighed about 22 to 66 pounds The researchers believe that Asilisaurus kongwe likely walked on four legs and ate a combination of plants and meat. We'll talk about the discovery, which was reported this week in the journal Nature.