Scientists said the creature, called Murusraptor barrosaensis, lived about 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. Murusraptor was a member of a group of meat-eaters called megaraptors, meaning “giant thieves,” that prowled Patagonia, although fossils of relatives have been discovered in Australia and Japan. Murusraptor means “thief from the wall,” because its fossils were collected from the wall of a creek in Argentina’s Neuquen Province. “The braincase is complete, and is the only known among megaraptors,” Mr. Coria added. Fossils of a carnivorous dinosaur unearthed in Argentina are shedding new light on an intriguing group of predators that apparently were just as happy to slash victims to death with sickle-shaped hand claws as to chomp them into an early grave.

Source: The Hindu July 21, 2016 22:18 UTC