Drawer-Stored Antarctic Dinosaur Fossil Rediscovered Decades Later

(CNA New York, July 30, Comprehensive Foreign News) Scientists have discovered a rare Antarctic dinosaur fossil in a drawer forgotten for decades. The bone belongs to the tail of a long-necked, herbivorous titanosaurian sauropod, but it is currently impossible to determine its species.

According to the Associated Press, the fossil was discovered during an expedition to James Ross Island in Antarctica in 1985 and collected by geologist Mike Thomson. Thomson was working for the British Antarctic Survey at the time, mapping the local rock strata and collecting marine reptile fossils to aid in future geological dating. He recorded the discovery as a large reptile.

Decades later, paleontologist Mark Evans noticed the bone in the British Antarctic Survey's collection and suspected it might be a dinosaur fossil. He and other researchers analyzed the bone's shape and compared it with more complete dinosaur remains, ultimately confirming their discovery. The research findings were published on the 29th in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Due to Antarctica being covered by an ice cap for many years, it is difficult to find dinosaur fossils. Paul Barrett, a co-author of the study from the Natural History Museum, London, stated that tens of millions of years ago, during the era when this dinosaur lived, Antarctica was actually covered in dense forests. "It was a very different and much more habitable place than we imagine Antarctica to be today."

This dinosaur was about 7 meters long, not particularly large for its kind, and may have been quite young when it died. The cause of death is unknown, but scientists speculate that the carcass drifted along the coast, sank to the seabed, and eventually became fossilized.

Since the discovery of this dinosaur tail bone, technology has advanced significantly, allowing researchers to examine the bone's interior and gain a more detailed understanding of ancient life. Regrettably, Thomson passed away in 2020 and did not live to witness this significant discovery.

Evans said, "If he (Thomson) were still with us, he would be absolutely delighted to know this."(Intern Editor: Hong Yu-tong / Editor: Chen Yu-ting) 1150701

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