Finding new 'relatives' of carnivorous dinosaurs

A recent British student discovered the fossil of a new 'relative' with carnivorous dinosaurs in China.

Michael Pittman stumbled upon a fossilized skeleton of the Linheraptor species on a trip to Inner Mongolia.

The 2.44-meter dinosaur with this scythe-like fang has relatives of Velociraptor, one of the scary 'stars' of Juras.

Beautiful fossil part of the Linheraptor dinosaur.

Like his famous 'cousin', Linheraptor has large claws, which are used to chase enemies. The 25 kg dinosaur, who lived 75 million years ago, can move quickly and flexibly on its sharp legs.

Pittman, a University of London student, said finding fossil dinosaur bones in the cliff is like a childhood dream come true. 'At that time, I saw something like claws emerging from the cliff so carefully separated them to verify. When I looked closely, I was sure that it was part of a carnivorous dinosaur. When I was young, I always dreamed that I would discover a flesh and blood dinosaur and never give up that idea. Surprisingly, my discovery is the fossil part of a species with the family name Velocirapto, speed bird of prey, "Pittman recalls.

Sketch of "portrait" of carnivorous dinosaurs.

Professor Xu Xing, from the Institute of Paleontology and Vertebrate Animals in Beijing, China, commented: 'This is a very beautiful fossil specimen and it reveals a revolution in the age of carnivorous dinosaurs'.

Both Linheraptor and Velociraptor belong to the carnivorous dinosaur family, living in the Cretaceous Period. Linheraptor is the fifth carnivorous dinosaur found in the Wulansuhai region, which is closely related to the Tsaagan species found in Mongolia in 1993.