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4 months ago
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As far as eyebrows go, this dinosaur could give Cara Delevigne a run for her money.
Experts have discovered a large predatory dinosaur which roamed Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia 165 million years ago sported a pair of very impressive brows.
The first remains of the fossil were discovered in 2006, in the mountainous desert regions near the city of Tashkumyr.
Over the course of several excavations palaeontologists unearthed skull bones, pelvic vertebrae, fragments of the shoulder, forelimbs and hind limbs of the dinosaur, which would have measured up to 9 metres (29.5ft) long.
Analysis now reveals it is a new species but belongs to the therapod dinosaur group, making it a distant cousin of the fearsome T-Rex.
Experts have discovered a large predatory dinosaur which roamed Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia 165 million years ago sported a pair of very impressive brows (artist's impression)
As far as eyebrows go, this dinosaur could give model Cara Delevigne (pictured) a run for her money
Named Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, its most striking feature is an unusual 'eyebrow' bone which most likely held a horn, the researchers said.
'Alpkarakush can be diagnosed by an extremely developed orbital brow,' they wrote.
The remains of a slightly smaller specimen were also found at the site.
Examination of the bone structure revealed that the larger specimen was almost an adult, at least 17 years old, while the smaller individual was a juvenile.
The team suggest they may have found a parent and their offspring.
Analysis of the dinosaur's fossilised remains indicates it would have measured up to 9 metres (29.5ft) long
Named Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, its most striking feature is an unusual 'eyebrow' bone (pictured) which most likely held a horn, the researchers said
The discovery of the specimen is so surprising as no large Jurassic predatory dinosaurs have previously been found in the region between central Europe and East Asia.
Professor Oliver Rauhut, from the Bavarian Collection of Paleontology and Geology in Munich, said: 'This discovery closes a huge gap in our knowledge of the Jurassic theropods.
'It leads us to important new insights into the evolution and biogeography of these animals.'
The first remains of the fossil were discovered in 2006, in the mountainous desert regions near the city of Tashkumyr
The fossil is named after Alpkarakush, a giant bird in a mythological Kyrgyz poem which often comes to the aid of heroes in critical moments.
The species name 'kyrgyzicus' refers directly to the Kyrgyz Republic, the origin of the new predatory dinosaur.
Digital 3D models of the discovered bones have been generated and made available online, allowing researchers from across the world to carry out follow-up studies.
The findings were published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
HOW THE DINOSAURS BECAME EXTINCT AROUND 66MILLION YEARS AGO
Dinosaurs ruled the Earth around 66million years ago, but suddenly disappeared in what is known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction.
It was believed for many years that the changing climate destroyed the food chain of the huge reptiles.
However, in the 1980s paleontologists discovered a layer of iridium - an element that is rare on Earth but found in vast quantities in space.
When this was dated, it coincided precisely with when the dinosaurs disappeared from the fossil record.
A decade later, scientists uncovered the massive Chicxulub Crater at the tip of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, which dates to the period in question.
Scientific consensus now says that these two factors are linked and they were both probably caused by an enormous asteroid crashing to Earth.
With the projected size and impact velocity, the collision would have caused an enormous shock wave and is likely to have triggered seismic activity.
The fallout would have created plumes of ash thought to have covered the whole planet, making it impossible for dinosaurs to survive.
Other animals and plant species had a shorter time-span between generations which allowed them to survive.
There are several other theories as to what caused the demise of the dinos.
One early theory was that small mammals ate dinosaur eggs and another proposes that toxic angiosperms (flowering plants) killed them off.
