Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur in China. Two fossils, perfectly preserved, were unearthed in the Lujiatun Beds in north-eastern China. The fossils are believed to be around 125 millions years old.?
According to paleontologists at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), the two creatures may have been trapped by a volcanic eruption and left behind "two magnificent skeletons."
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"These animals were quickly covered by fine sediment while they were still alive or just after their death," said Pascal Godefroit, palaeontologist at the RBINS.
Scientists have named the species 'Changmiania liaoningensis'. Changmiania means 'eternal sleep' in Chinese.
They have also stated that species was a herbivores, bipedal dinosaur of about 1.2 metres in length.?
It has also been described as the most primitive ornithopod dinosaur to date. Ornithopods were a group of herbivorous dinosaurs that existed in the Cretaceous period (between 66 and 145.5 million years ago).
Godefroit said: "Certain characteristics of the skeleton suggest that Changmiania could dig burrows, much like rabbits do today.
"Its neck and forearms are very short but robust, its shoulder blades are characteristic of burrowing vertebrates and the top of its snout is shaped like a shovel.?So we believe that both Changmiania specimens were trapped by the volcanic eruption when they were resting at the bottom of their burrows 125 million years ago."
The findings were published in the PeerJ scientific journal.