New Mexico's arid badlands may be lacking water, but those colorful, surreal landscapes are hiding more than just incredible views. In fact, some of those concealed treasures are millions of years old.
In March, 2020, a group of paleontologists published a paper detailing a new species of a carnivorous dinosaur discovered in New Mexico's Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness.
The dino, named the Dineobellator notohesperus, is a relative of the more widely known velociraptor from the Jurassic Park films and apparently was just as deadly when it roamed the land about 70 to 66 million years ago.
Raptors were depicted as powerful, fast, dangerous creatures in the Jurassic Park films and, aside from the reptilian look, this wasn't far from the truth.
The new Dineobellator was smaller than the velociraptor, measuring just over six feet in length with more refined bones and heightened agility. This dinosaur was quicker, stronger, and far more agile than its predecessors, with a pack of them able to take down massive prey.
It's these incredible abilities that led researchers to name the creature Dineobellator notohesperus. A combination of Latin and Navajo languages, it roughly translates to "Navajo warrior from the American Southwest."
The fossils from the creature were initially discovered in 2008 by researchers from museums in New Mexico and Pennsylvania.
At the time, the bones were assumed to be from other varieties of Dromaeosaurids—the proper name for raptors—but further analysis and excavation over the years led paleontologists to confirm it was part of its own subfamily.
At about 68 million-years-old, these creatures were among the last of their kind.
Dinosaurs underwent extinction about two million years later during the Cretaceous period, meaning the Dineobellator had a limited time to terrorize and pursue its prey.
For more information about the new dinosaur, check out this link to the Scientific Reports journal the study was published in.
Looking for more evidence of dinosaurs in the Land of Enchantment. Be sure to pay a visit to Clayton Lake State Park to see a massive number of prehistoric fossils, including dinosaur footprints. Read more in A Trip To This Fossil Park In New Mexico Is An Adventure Like No Other.
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