Fossil found in drawer turns out to be first dinosaur bone from Antarctica
Summary
Scientists discovered that a bone found in Antarctica in 1985 belongs to a titanosaur, a long-necked plant-eating dinosaur. This is the first dinosaur bone ever collected from Antarctica and only the second body fossil of a sauropod found there.Key Facts
- The fossil is a tail bone from a titanosaur dinosaur.
- It was found on James Ross Island, Antarctica, during a 1985 expedition.
- Geologist Mike Thomson collected the bone but recorded it as a large reptile, not a dinosaur.
- Paleontologist Mark Evans later identified the bone as dinosaur remains.
- Titanosaurs lived about 80 million years ago when Antarctica had forests and a warmer climate.
- The dinosaur was about 23 feet long, smaller than most titanosaurs, possibly a young individual.
- The fossil was preserved in marine rock, suggesting the body floated into the sea after death.
- Technology advances helped scientists learn more about the fossil many years after it was found.
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