The 'Lonely Bandit' from Madagascar

So far, there are no dinosaur fossils ever found in the Diego Suarez region in Madagascar. But the discovery of fragments of seven vertebrae and ribs ancient animals in the area in 2007 and 2010 changed everything. Paleontologists identify the bones as belonging to a new species of dinosaur, Dahalokely tokana.

"It means that a 'lonely little bandit', in the Malagasy language, " said Joseph Sertich, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Museum of Nature and Sciences Denver, United States, on Thursday, April 25, 2013.

Dahalokely believed to be a member of the Abelisauroid group, meat-eating dinosaur type that lived 90 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. This dinosaurs  has the muscular back legs and small arms.

University of Antananarivo student Liva Ratsimbaholison excavates Dahalokely in 2010. (Picture from: http://www.denverpost.com/)

Body length of the 'lonely bandit' estimated 9-14 meters. That put him as a top predator in the ecosystem. "These findings suggest there are thousands of new dinosaurs out there waiting to be discovered," said Sertich.

Researchers have discovered the remains of a meat-eating dinosaur named Dahalokely tokana on the island of Madagascar. Dahalokely was between 9 feet and 14 feet (2.7 to 4.3 meters) long. (Picture from: http://science.nbcnews.com/)

According Sertich, dinosaur fossil discovery plays an important role for the development of science. Fossils can tell about the past position of the continents, the evolution, as well as the ecosystems inhabited by a group of ancient animals are believed to be extinct due to the meteor strike.

The discovery of the 'lonely bandit' fossil may help palaeontologists to trace the ancestors of the dinosaurs 20 million years to fill a gap in the fossil record of Madagascar. The first fossilized dinosaur bones were first discovered from a critical period of the geological history of Madagascar before parting with India around 88 million years ago. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | HUFFINGTON POST | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPP 4214]

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