This Little Brazilian Dinosaur Ran Across the Desert on One Toe

[Judi Lynn]

The recently unearthed dog-sized theropod is a rare example of monodactyl dinosaurs
By Jason Daley
smithsonian.com
July 3, 2019 5:24PM

In the 1970s, paleontologists in Brazil discovered the fossilized one-toed tracks of a mysterious dinosaur. Now, they’ve finally identified the animal that left the prints behind as it moved across the prehistoric desert 90 million years ago. They’ve uncovered 40 percent of the bones from a 5-foot-long, 2.5-foot-tall, 33-pound therapod dinosaur from the same group as Tyrannosaurus Rex and velociraptor.

The discovery was made in the Cruzeiro do Oeste municipality of Parana state in southern Brazil, reports Agence-France Presse. Researchers first uncovered a small, quarter-inch-long tooth. When they excavated further, they discovered the unusual foot of the dino as well. The foot itself wasn’t one-toed, but in fact three-toed; however, the dino seems to have rested all its weight on its middle toe when it walked, making it monodactyl—the first time that adaptation has been found in Brazilian dinosaurs.

“It’s incredible that, nearly 50 years later, it seems that we have discovered what type of dinosaur would have produced those enigmatic footprints,” says Paulo Manzig of the Paleontology Museum of Cruzeiro do Oest and co-author of the new findings published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Dubbed Vespersaurus paranaensis, the dino would have been similar to other meat eating Noasaurinae theropods of the time, chasing after prey on two feet and attacking them with three claws on each six-inch foot.

Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/little-brazilian-dinosaur-ran-across-desert-one-toe-180972555/#zdpItfsJZgCr8PYt.99