SAEDNEWS: In the mountains of western Kyrgyzstan, the bones of a predatory animal dating back 165 million years have been discovered. This creature was a carnivorous dinosaur closely related to the Tyrannosaurus rex.
While the Tyrannosaurus rex has become one of the most famous dinosaurs thanks to Hollywood films, it was just one species within a large and dangerous family of carnivorous dinosaurs known as theropods. These dinosaurs walked on powerful hind legs and had short forelimbs, with sizes ranging from a small bird to a six-ton monster.
Now, this family has a new member. In 2006, paleontologist Isaac Bakirov discovered the first fossilized bones of an ancient creature. According to a report from August 21 by the Bavarian State Natural History Collections, analysis of the rocks at a mountainous site in western Kyrgyzstan revealed that the bones date back to the Middle Jurassic period, around 165 million years ago.
The site was excavated over 17 years, during which Kyrgyz and German researchers uncovered skull bones, vertebrae, parts of the shoulder and forelimbs, teeth, and nearly a complete pelvic girdle from two animals of the same species.
Most notably, the research teams discovered large hind legs, indicating that this massive creature measured between 26 and 30 feet (nearly 9 meters) in length.
The species has been named Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, in honor of the location where it was found. Its name derives from “Alpkarakush,” a legendary bird in Kyrgyz culture that is said to aid heroes in critical moments.
This new species is identifiable by its prominent postorbital bones, which functioned like eyebrows. Evidence suggests that a horn grew above each eye on either side of the head.
The dinosaur belongs to a group of predators from East Asia called metriacanthosaurids. Paleontologists believe this group originated in the east and later spread throughout Asia and into Europe.
Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus is the first theropod discovered in Kyrgyzstan and, when displayed, will become the first major dinosaur skeleton from the country on public exhibit. The fossils were found near the city of Tash-Kumyr in western Kyrgyzstan, close to the Uzbek border.
