The current biology In their paper published in the journal, according to the scientists, they excavated extensive skeletal remains of a hitherto unknown species in the northern part of Patagonia.
Meraxes gigas was about 11 meters long, its skull was 1.2 meters, but the length of its arms was only 0.6 meters.
small limbs to survive
Scientists believe that the small limbs gave the carnivores a survival advantage. Juan Canal, lead author of the study, said: “I am convinced that these relatively small arms had some function. The skeleton shows thick muscles and a well-developed chest girdle, so the arm had strong muscles.” – writes BBC.
According to the researcher, the arms may have been used for reproductive behavior, such as carrying a female during mating or supporting herself after a fall.
According to co-author Peter Makovicky, the dinosaur’s arms were literally half the length of its skull, and the animal was unable to reach its mouth. He thinks it’s a race
Its huge head was the main predatory tool,
which assumed functions that the arms would have performed in smaller species. Meraxes gigas – a file Game of thrones– Named after the dragon of the book series – it belongs to the carcharodontosaurids, that is, shark-toothed lizards. It is believed that four-ton reptiles lived on Earth about 90-100 million years ago.
According to scientists, two more species – tyrannosaurs and abelisaurides – developed “hand weapons” for similar reasons.
