The almost complete skeleton of the small long-necked reptile, named "Huayracursor Jaguensis," has been found in Argentina. / © CONICET/AFP
High in Argentina’s Andes Mountains, scientists have unearthed a remarkably preserved dinosaur skeleton that could reshape understanding of how the species first evolved.
Argentinian scientists have found fossilized bones of one of the world's oldest dinosaur species in the Andes Mountains, the CONICET research agency announced on Wednesday.
A paleontological team led by the institute found the almost complete skeleton of the small long-necked reptile, named Huayracursor Jaguensis, at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) in Argentina's northwest.
The team found part of the dinosaur's skull, a complete vertebral column extending to the tail, and nearly intact forelimbs and hindlimbs, said CONICET.
The discovery was published in Nature magazine, with the authors saying it could inform studies into evolution.
Agustin Martinelli, one of the authors, said that the Huayracursor is estimated to have roamed the earth between 230 and 225 million years ago, making it one of the oldest dinosaurs in the world.
The species lived at the end of the Triassic period, a geological era in which the first dinosaurs and the ancestors of mammals started to appear / © CONICET/AFP
The species lived at the end of the Triassic period, during which the first dinosaurs and the ancestors of mammals started to appear, the researchers said.
Although the discovered species is part of a lineage of herbivorous dinosaurs that includes long-necked giants, the researchers noted that an adult Huayracursor Jaguensis only measured about two meters in length and weighed approximately 18 kilograms (40 pounds).
