A new species of dinosaur called
Aardonyx celestae from the early Jurassic period in South Africa reveals that the giant sauropod (long necked) dinosaurs started reaching their massive sizes at an earlier stage than expected. The specimen was about 7 metres long and died when it was 10 years old, so would have had a decent amount of rowing left to do before reaching it's full size.
Yates elaborates on the anatomy of Aardonyx celestae: "The dinosaur had a wide-gaping mouth, bracing joints in the back vertebrae that made the backbone rigid enough to support great weight and a forearm and hand capable of grasping and supporting weight. Growth rings in the rib and shoulder blade sections show that Aardonyx was not full grown -- it was probably less than 10 years old when it died near a river or stream."
He adds: "Aardonyx probably walked on its hind legs but could drop onto all fours as well. It had flattened feet with large claws that supported body weight on the inside of the foot and a robust thigh bone (femur) for supporting weight."
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The right premaxilla, a bone from the tip of the snout. The two prongs partly enclose the giant nostril characteristic of this species. The tips of two teeth can be seen protruding from the bottom edge. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of the Witwatersrand)
