Re: New theropod from Poland

[Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@ifa.amu.edu.pl>]

On 2008-08-03 19:27, K and T Dykes wrote:
> <<and the accompanying dicynodont:
> > http://wyborcza.pl/51,75476,5503035.html?i=0>>
>
> That picture shows they certainly mean a dicyonodont.
> If they're anything like correct about the age, and the dicynodont is 
> from the same stratum, that find's rather astonishing.  Apart from a 
> baffling possibly Lower Cretaceous Australian, I think this would be a 
> chronological range extension of 15 million years or so.

So the palaeontologists say. It's also really huge, with a body length 
of 4-5 m (same as the theropod), which would make it easily the largest 
dicynodont found so far, I suppose (and there are several specimens of 
the animal). It seems they have uncovered a whole riverside ecosystem, 
complete with plant fragments (mostly Cheirolepidaceae), pollen and 
spores, crustaceans, amphibians (cyclotosaurs and plagiosaurs) and fish 
(photos of a shark's dorsal spine and a dipnoid's tooth have been 
published), all from the same stratum. As for their age, either the 
dicynodont is sensationally young or the theropod is sensationally old, 
so those guys win either way :)

The bones were actually found about two years ago, but in order to 
protect the site from fossil hunters they haven't announced the 
discovery till now. I hope the results will be published soon.

Piotr Gasiorowski