Japan’s First Tyrannosaurid Bones Excavated; Lower Jaw Fragments Found in Kumamoto Pref.
13:00 JST, February 17, 2024
AMAKUSA, Kumamoto — Fossilized lower jaw fragments from a tyrannosaurid, which belongs to the same family as the Tyrannosaurus, have been excavated in the Amakusa Islands in Kumamoto Prefecture, according to two museums that have conducted research on the discovery
The Amakusa municipal Goshoura Cretaceous Museum in Kumamoto Prefecture and the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Fukui Prefecture announced Thursday in Amakusa that they discovered the fragments in Reihoku, a town on Shimoshima Island in the Amakusa Islands. The parts were found in the Late Cretaceous strata, dating it back approximately 74 million years.
The museums said that this was the first time that fossilized bones of a tyrannosaurid have been found in Japan, though fossilized teeth have been found in the past, suggesting that the discovery will likely be important for understanding large carnivorous dinosaur habitats in Asia.
The fossilized parts were excavated during a survey conducted in 2014 by the museums, which examined them using CT scans to determine that they were parts of a dentary bone, a section of the lower jaw that supported the teeth. The museums identified the bones as belonging to a tyrannosaurid, judging from the characteristics of the remaining teeth, which were large and had a distinctively elliptical cross-section.
Left- and right-side dentary parts were found together, with the left side measuring 14 centimeters long and 8 centimeters thick, and the right side 17 centimeters long and 8 centimeters thick.
The dinosaur is estimated to have been over 8 meters long.
"Science & Nature" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Gigantic Ichthyosaur’s Fossils Found by British Girl, Father
-
Auroras May be Visible in Hokkaido within Days from Friday Night as Sun is Extremely Active; GPS, Aircraft Communications Disruption Feared
-
Jellyfish Invade Venezuelan Waters, Worrying Fishermen
-
JAXA Plans to Develop Demonstration Plant for Tech to Produce Spacecraft Fuel on Moon; Agency to Partner with Government, Private Sector, Academia
-
Fossils of Colossal Snake Vasuki Unearthed in India
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Weakening Yen Adds Complexity to BOJ’s Rate Hike Decisions; Rising Commodity Prices may Impact ‘Virtuous Cycle’ Efforts
- Japanese Seafood Exports to China Sink 57% in FY23; U.S. Becomes Largest Seafood Export Destination
- 70% of Japan Companies to Raise Pay Scales in FY 2024
- 48.6% of Global Patent Applications Related to All-Solid-State Batteries Came from Japanese Firms; Panasonic Tops List
- Core Consumer Prices Rise 2.8% in Fiscal 2023