An international team of paleontologists from Japan, Mongolia and the United States has discovered a new species of dinosaur that slept in the same position as modern birds. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine PLOS One.
Scientists discovered fossilized remains of a previously unknown ancient dinosaur species during excavations in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. The species found were assigned to the family Alvarezsauridae, which are small carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on two legs. It was given the name Jaculinykus yaruui, which can be translated as “little fast dragon”. These animals lived on Earth about 71 million years ago.
Researchers estimate that the dinosaur was about one meter tall and weighed about 30 kilograms during its lifetime. The most interesting thing about the fossil was its location. It looks like the lizard has settled down for a nap, lowering its neck and tail to make lying down more comfortable. His hind legs were also tucked under his pelvis. The pose is similar to that of modern sleeping birds.
Previous research has shown that modern-day birds curl up during sleep for both comfort and to preserve heat. The discovery shows that their ancient ancestors tried to stay warm while sleeping in the same way.
Previous scientists assumedThere are now planets in the universe where living dinosaurs could live.