Dinosaur discoveries in 2021 were truly amazing, which added new information and clarified some previous claims about them. As Live Science reported, this year's new studies showed the actual number of Tyrannosaurus rex, the longest dinosaur that ever existed, and described new species of dinosaurs. Here are the top seven dinosaur discoveries of 2021:
Dinosaur Discoveries in 2021: Which Prehistoric Fossil Finds are the Most Unique This Year
1. Dinosaurs Mate in Their Cloacal Region
Science Times previously reported dinosaur remnants that are unlike any other discovery. Scientists reconstructed the butthole of a dinosaur, called the cloaca, previously known for its use in pooping, peeing, breeding, and egg-laying. But a recent study published in the journal Current Biology showed that dinosaurs also use it for mating.
Paleobiologist Jakob Vinther from the University of Bristol in the UK told Live Science that it was indeed a cloaca of its own, designed perfectly and uniquely.
2. Supersaurus: The Longest Dinosaur Recorded
The longest dinosaur ever recorded was named Supersaurus, which was discovered in 1972. According to National History Museum, the dinosaur is approximately 111 feet (35 m). However, newly excavated fossils showed that it might have grown longer than that.
Analyses presented during the annual conference of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology reveal that Supersaurus could have possibly reached 137 feet (42 m) long.
3. Extremely Fast Dinosaur
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that a species of meat-eating dinosaurs, but not T. rex, can run at speeds of nearly 28 mph (45 kph). Researchers found trackways left behind by two carnivorous species in a lake bed that is dated back to the Cretaceous period.
This reveals that the dinosaur could have been as fast as Usain Bolt, the fastest human on record, at 27.5 mph (44.3 kph) during a race in 2009. Moreso, it showed that it is faster than the dinosaur king, which only runs at 3 mph (5 kph).
4. Shark-Toothed Dinosaur Larger Than a T-Rex
T-rex might be called the dinosaur king, but it is not the largest of them all. A recent study published in September in the journal Royal Society Open Science revealed that the dinosaur called Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis, commonly known as the shark-toothed dinosaur, is larger than the T-rex.
They lived around 90 million years ago in what is now Uzbekistan. Scientists estimated that it measured approximately 26 feet (8 m) long and weighed 2,200 lbs (1,000 kg). That means it was two times longer and five times heavier than the tyrannosaur Timurlengia.
5. Bizarre Dinosaur Has Weaponized Tail
A newly discovered lineage of ankylosaurs in the Southern Hemisphere, called Stegouros elengassen, was found to have evolved in unique ways, having a weaponized tail that resembles the Aztec sword or macuahuitl. It is believed to have lived over 70 million years ago and died by a river or quicksand that helped preserve it.
6. Dinosaur Fight Clubs
Last but not least, in the amazing dinosaur discoveries in 2021, researchers discovered the weird way fearsome tyrannosaurs spent their time in the past. Researchers wrote in their study in the journal Paleobiology that dinosaurs had fight clubs, wherein they would bite each other's faces but without the intention of killing them.
Since not all fossils of tyrannosaurs have scars in their skulls and jaws, researchers believe that only mature dinosaurs took part in these rumbles in a fight to win the territory, mates, and status.
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