Goose-necked Dinosaur Was Built Like a Diving Bird
2022-12-12
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1The expansive dinosaur group that includes big hunters like the T. rex has a strange new member.
2Its bones were found in Mongolia.
3Scientists named the new dinosaur Natovenator polydontus.
4They say it was about the size and shape of the bird called a goose.
5It also had a long neck, similar to a goose's.
6But, it was not a bird, the scientists say.
7The research suggests the animal was semi-aquatic, meaning it spent much of its life in water.
8It lived about 72 million years ago during a period of time called the Cretaceous Period.
9It was built like a diving bird, with a body meant for quickly swimming in water.
10Inside its mouth, were about 100 small teeth, the scientists said.
11And, they said they believe the dinosaur was covered in feathers.
12Yuong-Nam Lee of Seoul National University in South Korea is lead writer of the research published in the journal Communications Biology.
13He said Natovenator has many "peculiar" qualities.
14It was the cousin of the speedy little meat-eating dinosaur the Velociraptor.
15But Natovenator was adapted to a life that involved a freshwater environment.
16The researchers said the animal may have floated on rivers and lakes, diving to hunt and using its long neck to catch fish and insects.
17Natovenator's skeleton is about 70 percent complete.
18It was unearthed in the Gobi Desert.
19Many dinosaur skeletons have been found in the desert in recent history.
20Natovenator is part of the dinosaur group called theropods.
21They share some qualities like walking on two feet, or bipedalism.
22The group is best known for large meat-eaters like Tyrannosaurus.
23But the group, which includes all birds, had many kinds of dinosaurs.
24Philip Currie of University of Alberta helped write the study.
25He said, "The diversity of theropod dinosaurs by the end of the Cretaceous is totally amazing."
26He believes there will be more discoveries of peculiar theropods in the future.
27Not many of the dinosaurs called "non-avian," or not the birds, are known to have lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
28A close relative of Natovenator named Halszkaraptor, described in 2017, lived a similar lifestyle during roughly the same time in the same area.
29Both had a very bird-like appearance and were closely related to birds.
30Natovenator measured about 45 centimeters long and had a head bone, or skull, about 7 centimeters long.
31It's front "wings," or limbs, appeared somewhat flattened.
32They could have been adapted for swimming.
33The increased ability to swim in water, or streamlining of its body, is shown by ribs that point toward the end of the body, or tail.
34That placement often appears in diving birds. It permits for better swimming.
35There were different diving birds during the Cretaceous, including North America's Hesperornis, which reached about 1.8 meters long.
36But none are known from the area Natoventor lived.
37"More than 30 different lineages of tetrapods (terrestrial vertebrates) have independently invaded water ecosystems," Lee said.
38"Why not dinosaurs?"
39I'm Faith Pirlo.
1The expansive dinosaur group that includes big hunters like the T. rex has a strange new member. Its bones were found in Mongolia. 2Scientists named the new dinosaur Natovenator polydontus. They say it was about the size and shape of the bird called a goose. It also had a long neck, similar to a goose's. 3But, it was not a bird, the scientists say. The research suggests the animal was semi-aquatic, meaning it spent much of its life in water. 4It lived about 72 million years ago during a period of time called the Cretaceous Period. It was built like a diving bird, with a body meant for quickly swimming in water. Inside its mouth, were about 100 small teeth, the scientists said. And, they said they believe the dinosaur was covered in feathers. 5Yuong-Nam Lee of Seoul National University in South Korea is lead writer of the research published in the journal Communications Biology. He said Natovenator has many "peculiar" qualities. 6It was the cousin of the speedy little meat-eating dinosaur the Velociraptor. But Natovenator was adapted to a life that involved a freshwater environment. The researchers said the animal may have floated on rivers and lakes, diving to hunt and using its long neck to catch fish and insects. 7Natovenator's skeleton is about 70 percent complete. It was unearthed in the Gobi Desert. Many dinosaur skeletons have been found in the desert in recent history. 8Natovenator is part of the dinosaur group called theropods. They share some qualities like walking on two feet, or bipedalism. The group is best known for large meat-eaters like Tyrannosaurus. But the group, which includes all birds, had many kinds of dinosaurs. 9Philip Currie of University of Alberta helped write the study. He said, "The diversity of theropod dinosaurs by the end of the Cretaceous is totally amazing." He believes there will be more discoveries of peculiar theropods in the future. 10Not many of the dinosaurs called "non-avian," or not the birds, are known to have lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle. A close relative of Natovenator named Halszkaraptor, described in 2017, lived a similar lifestyle during roughly the same time in the same area. Both had a very bird-like appearance and were closely related to birds. 11Natovenator measured about 45 centimeters long and had a head bone, or skull, about 7 centimeters long. It's front "wings," or limbs, appeared somewhat flattened. They could have been adapted for swimming. The increased ability to swim in water, or streamlining of its body, is shown by ribs that point toward the end of the body, or tail. That placement often appears in diving birds. It permits for better swimming. 12There were different diving birds during the Cretaceous, including North America's Hesperornis, which reached about 1.8 meters long. But none are known from the area Natoventor lived. 13"More than 30 different lineages of tetrapods (terrestrial vertebrates) have independently invaded water ecosystems," Lee said. "Why not dinosaurs?" 14I'm Faith Pirlo. 15Will Dunham reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 16__________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18feathers - n. any one of the light growths that make up the outer covering of the body of a bird 19peculiar - adj. not usual or normal 20adapt - v. to change (something) so that it functions better or is better suited for a purpose 21diversity - n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, or ideas 22amazing - n. causing great surprise or wonder 23rib - n. any one of the curved bones of the chest that connect to the spine 24ecosystem - n. everything that exists in a particular environment 25_________________________________________________________________ 26What do you think of this dinosaur? 27We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 28Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.