Fossils of saber-toothed dinosaurs discovered in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Kyzylkum Desert, the Bissekty Formation, a rock and sedimentary structure between 90 and 92 million years old, is home to many dinosaur fossils. At this site, paleontologists discovered a dinosaur that was likely the region’s apex predator at the time.

Jaw part of a saber-toothed dinosaur

Scientists have discovered fossil Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis – part of the upper jaw of a Carcharodontosaur. It was a “shark tooth” dinosaur characterized by its large size and serrated teeth. Paleontologists only have a single fossil to work with. Through research they have concluded that this specimen can be about 8 meters long and weighs about 1,000 kg. That enormous size means that U. uzbekistanensis was twice the length and five times heavier than the jaws of the tyrannosaurs in the area.

Carcharodontosaur skull model.

Paleontologist Yoshitsugu Kobayashi of the Hokkaido University Museum said of the value of the find: “The discovery of Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis fills an important gap in the fossil record, revealing that the carnivorous machine lived alive. widespread throughout the continent from Europe to East Asia”.

Standing above Tyrannosaurus

University of Minnesota paleontologist Peter Makovicky, who was not involved in the study, agreed with the article that U. uzbekistanensis was likely at the top of the regional food chain at the time. He said: “I think the owner of this fossil was so large that it could have been a very large predatory dinosaur and very possibly the apex predator in its ecosystem.” This means Carcharodontosaur even stood above the Tyrannosaurus rex.

The study authors also say that sometime before the Late Cretaceous period (66 to 100 million years ago), carnivores such as Ulughbegsaurus disappeared from Central Asia and ceded top predatory status to dinosaurs.

While it’s clear that tyrannosaurs dominated the area when Carcharodontosaur disappeared, one question remains: Carcharodontosaurs have been holding back tyrannosaurs for tens of millions of years, and it’s impossible to imagine. that the tyrannosaurs how to find a way to fight back and become the ruler?