Dinosaur Leg Ripped Off by Chicxulub Space Rock Discovered in North Dakota

A leg of a dinosaur unearthed in North Dakota may hold clues to the events following the impact of the space rock that killed the gigantic beasts.

The 66-million-year-old relic was well-preserved and suspected that its previous owner had witnessed the fall of the Chicxulub asteroid, which wiped out nonavian dinosaurs from our planet. But although there are substantial clues pointing out the possibility, some groups are not convinced about the history of the dinosaur leg.

Leg of Dinosaur Thescelosaurus Possibly Dettached During Chicxulub Impact

Dinosaur Leg Ripped Off by Chicxulub Space Rock Discovered in North Dakota — A meteor impact 66 million years ago generated a tsunami-like wave in an inland sea that killed and buried fish, mammals, insects and a dinosaur, the first victims of Earth’s last mass extinction event. The death scene from within an hour of the impact has been excavated at an unprecedented fossil site in North Dakota. Robert DePalma / University of Berkeley

University of Manchester's expert Robert DePalma led the discovery of the fossilized dinosaur leg. According to the BBC, the part was purely preserved so that the skin of the leg was still intact. Based on the location of the excavation, the experts theorized that the creature's cause of death is not just any territorial fight or prehistoric disease, but the dinosaur-killing space rock Chicxulub itself.

The findings from the specimen were not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal as of today.

Natural History Museum specialist Paul Barett explained that the leg collected from North Dakota was once part of a massive herbivorous dinosaur called Thescelosaurus. In ancient Greek, the name translates to a 'wonderful lizard.'

Barett said that the group to which the Thescelosaurus belongs provided little evidence of what their skin looks like. Based on the recent dig, these dinosaurs were most likely scaly, having features comparable to the modern-day lizard - as opposed to their meat-eating counterparts that are full of feathers.

According to Barrett, the fossilized leg was probably detached from the dinosaur's body quickly. This is due to the limb not showing any signs of scavenger bites and even types of disease.

Barett, along with other scientists, carried out the study of the dinosaur in partnership with BBC One. They will release a documentary regarding the details of the North Dakota site, where the leg was recovered. The premiere, airing on April 15, will include the participation of Sir David Attenborough.

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Tanis Paleontological Site in North Dakota

University of Edinburgh's vertebrate paleontology and evolutionary biology specialist Steve Brusatte will serve as the project's consultant, BBC reported. According to LiveScience, Brusatte is not fully convinced by the idea that the Thescelosaurus lost its leg through the Chicxulub asteroid.

Brusatte explained that the remains of Thescelosaurus and other dinosaurs from the North Dakota site possibly died days or even years prior to the impact of the dino-killing space rock. The expert said that they might have been violently unearthed upon the impact, and was reburied by the fragments and the debris as the effect of the extinction event.

According to Science, the North Dakota site, also known as Tanis, was already suspected of inaccuracies and other skepticisms in past studies.

Alongside the leg of Thescelosaurus, other creatures and clues of the massive impact were found at the site. Spherules, or the glass materials that resulted from extreme heat, were discovered covering fish species such as paddlefish and sturgeons. Additions to the dig include turtles, smaller mammalian species, a pterosaur egg with the intact embryo, a Triceratops skin, and a suspected fragment of the asteroid itself.