JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 11, 2009

New Dinosaur Species Found in South Africa

Scientists Say Find May Explain How Dinosaurs Evolved into Earth's Largest Land Animals

  • Paleontologist Adam Yates , second left, displays fossilized bones of a new dinosaur species, Aardonyx Celestae, from the early Jurassic period (about 200 million years old) during an announcement of the discovery at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009.

    Paleontologist Adam Yates , second left, displays fossilized bones of a new dinosaur species, Aardonyx Celestae, from the early Jurassic period (about 200 million years old) during an announcement of the discovery at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009.  (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

  • Photo Essay Land Of The Found

    Images of some recent fossil finds, from man's ancestors to extinct dinosaurs.

(AP)  Scientists say they've discovered a new dinosaur species in South Africa that may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land.

Paleontologist Adam Yates from the University of the Witwatersrand presented an incomplete skeleton of the Aardonyx celestae at a news conference Wednesday.

The findings of Yates and his team have been published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B.

The species was a plant-eater dating back about 200 million years to the early Jurassic period. The dinosaur walked on its hind legs but could drop to all fours and stood nearly 6 feet high at the hip.

Yates believes it represents a missing evolutionary link between earlier dinosaurs and their descendants.

© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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by formrusmcsgt November 11, 2009 10:17 PM EST
Don't you know that dogma peddlers would love to be announcing new "evidence" virtually daily as science does?
Reply to this comment
by ToolMangler1 November 12, 2009 3:30 PM EST
The Vatican just did this week....
by ToolMangler1 November 12, 2009 3:34 PM EST
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/11/world/main5613197.shtml
by Sloughfoot November 11, 2009 12:21 PM EST
I wonder if mankind has missed something in the pages of prehistory - Like, we too shall pass.
Reply to this comment
by hungry1968-17 November 11, 2009 9:30 AM EST
Apparently, this dinosaur must have just disembarked from Noah's Ark.
Reply to this comment
by ToolMangler1 November 12, 2009 3:29 PM EST
If Noah's Ark came from Tau Ceti you might be right...

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