Other theropods have teeth, but not the “Berthasaura leopoldinae”. This bipedal dinosaur, which lived 70 or 80 million years ago, had a beak, which questions paleontologists about its diet.
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The National Museum of Rio de Janeiro announced the discovery of a new species of dinosaur “very rare”, Thursday November 18. It is a theropod “toothless” who lived in southern Brazil 70 to 80 million years ago. Called “Berthasaura leopoldinae”, this small dinosaur about one meter long and 80 centimeters high was identified from a set of fossils found during excavations in the State of Parana, between 2011 and 2014.
Theropods are bipedal dinosaurs, usually carnivorous or omnivorous, and provided with teeth. But this one “had a beak, and no tooth, unlike all the other species discovered in Brazil so far”, said the National Museum in a press release. The study, carried out jointly with the Paleontological Center of Contestado, in the state of Santa Catarina (south), was published in the scientific journal Nature (in English).
Paleontologist Alexander Kellner, director of the National Museum, pointed out that the fossils were particularly well preserved. “We have remains of skull, jaw, spine, pelvic and pectoral girdles, and fore and hind limbs, making ‘Bertha’ one of the most complete Cretaceous dinosaurs ever discovered in Canada. Brazil”, he explained at a press conference. According to paleontologists, the fact that this species does not have a tooth is “a real surprise” which raises many questions about its diet.
“Maybe he ate differently from other theropod dinosaurs, but just because he doesn’t have a tooth doesn’t mean he can’t eat meat.”
Geovane Alves de Souza, one of the authors of the study
The name “Berthasaura leopoldinae” was chosen in tribute to Bertha Luz, Brazilian scientist and researcher at the National Museum, and to Empress Maria Leopoldina, wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and patron of natural science studies.