Fossilised Remains Of 72 Million Year Old Dinosaur Tail Discovered

Fossilised Remains Of 72 Million Year Old Dinosaur Tail Discovered

Excitingly it was announced that a team of archaeologists have discovered the fossilised remains of a 72 million-year-old dinosaur tail in a desert in northern Mexico. Francisco Aguilar, director of the country's National Institute for Anthropology and History expressed saying that the 'unusually well-preserved' five yard-long tail was the first ever found in Mexico.

Furthermore, the team which is consisting of archaeologists and students from INAH and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, recognized the fossil as a hadrosaur, otherwise duck-billed dinosaur. The tail, found near the small town of General Cepeda found in the border state of Coahuila, likely made up half the dinosaur's length, Aguilar said. Archaeologists explored the 50 vertebrae of the tail completely intact following behind spending 20 days in the desert slowly lifting a sedimentary rock covering the creature's bones. INAH mentioned  spread widely around the tail were other fossilised bones, including one of the dinosaur's hips.

According to INAH, the dinosaur tail finds are relatively rare. Aguilar said that the new discovery could further understanding of the hadrosaur family along with aid research on diseases that troubled greatly dinosaur bones, which possessed similarity those of humans.

Scientists have already resolved that dinosaurs suffered from tumors and arthritis, for example. Dinosaur remains have been found in many parts of the state of Coahuila, in addition to Mexico's other northern desert states. 

Aguilar said they have a very rich history of paleontology. He noted that during the Cretaceous period, which concluded nearly 65 million years ago, much of what is now central northern Mexico was on the coast. This has empowered researchers to unearth remains of both marine and land-based dinosaurs.

The presence of the remains was accompanying statement described in detail to INAH by locals in June 2012. Subsequent to the initial examination, excavation commenced earlier this month and that the remains of the tail will be transferred to General Cepeda for cleaning as well as further investigation.

Once a mystery gets resolved it leads us towards another mystery, it's an unending thrill.

(AW:Samrat Biswas)