A new genus and species of titanosaur has been identified from the fossilized remains found in the Hațeg Basin in Transylvania An artist’s impression of a herd of lithostrotian dinosaurs (right) The newly-identified species lived on Hațeg Island a large subtropical landmass in Tethys Ocean some 70 million years ago (Cretaceous period) Dubbed Uriash kadici, the animal belongs to Lithostrotia a group of titanosaurian dinosaurs that includes many armored species “Titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs include the largest animals to ever walk on land with gigantic species that exceeded 60 tons,” said Dr a paleontologist with the Museum für Naturkunde at the Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung titanosaurs had achieved a near-global distribution with their remains known from every landmass in the Late Cretaceous.” titanosaurian evolutionary relationships are poorly known limiting our understanding of this diverse clade of megaherbivores (the only group of sauropods to survive into the latest Cretaceous).” European titanosaurs have largely been neglected in phylogenetic analyses,” they said “This neglect mainly stems from the historical predominance of Gondwanan species as well as the scarcity and incompleteness of Laurasian remains this has begun to change through a combination of reassessments of existing species and specimens the latest Cretaceous European sauropod fossil record is starting to reveal a rich evolutionary history with increasingly recognized importance for biogeographical scenarios and growing incorporation into phylogenetic analyses.” The holotype of Uriash kadici was found in the Densuș-Ciula Formation of Hațeg Basin in Romania The dinosaur is estimated to have had a body mass of between 5 and 8 tons “Uriash kadici is the largest titanosaurian species known from the Hațeg Basin and surpassed the maximum values reached by most other Late Cretaceous European titanosaurs with the exception of Abditosaurus (with estimates of 14 tons and 17.5 m in length),” the paleontologists said “The presence of large-sized titanosaurs such as Uriash kadici is noteworthy and requires explanation because it appears to contradict — or at least undermine — the supposed action of the ‘island rule’ upon these faunas.” Uriash kadici co-existed with three other titanosaurian species: Magyarosaurus dacus Paludititan nalatzensis and Petrustitan hungaricus this diversity was likely even higher as evidenced by the substantial amount of associated fossils “Our phylogenetic analyses show that these Transylvanian titanosaurs present particularly close relationships with Gondwanan species: Magyarosaurus is recovered either as a member or a close relative of Saltasauridae; Paludititan has affinities with Lognkosauria along with the approximately contemporaneous Spanish titanosaur Lohuecotitan; Petrustitan is most closely related to South American early diverging eutitanosaurian species; and Uriash shares one feature uniquely with Gondwanan titanosaurs,” they said “These analyses also strengthen the palaeobiogeographical hypothesis that the latest Cretaceous European titanosaurs were members of Gondwanan lineages that invaded the former area during the Barremian-Albian ages.” Magyarosaurus dacus has been identified as a dwarfed sauropod with island dwarfism proposed as an explanation for the diminutive size of this species and other dinosaurs on Hațeg Island.” “Whereas Paludititan and Petrustitan are also small-bodied sauropods Uriash was an order of magnitude heavier and represents one of the largest titanosaurian species found in the Late Cretaceous of Europe.” “We interpret the presence of this body-size disparity as either evidence that large-bodied species were ecologically excluded from body-size reduction by competition from small-bodied titanosaurs or that dwarfing occurred stratigraphically earlier among several lineages and the small-bodied titanosaurs on Hațeg Island are the descendants of existing dwarfed ancestors.” we find no indication of a body-size related titanosaur turnover involving replacement of dwarfed species with larger-sized ones in the uppermost Cretaceous of the Transylvanian area.” The discovery of Uriash kadici is reported in a paper published this month in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. Verónica Díez Díaz et al. 2025. Revision of Romanian sauropod dinosaurs reveals high titanosaur diversity and body-size disparity on the latest Cretaceous Haţeg Island, with implications for titanosaurian biogeography. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 23 (1): 2441516; doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2441516 Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace Public access to information is a key component of UNESCO's commitment to transparency and its accountability. Based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, the 2005 Convention ultimately provides a new framework for informed, transparent and UNESCO’s e-Platform on intercultural dialogue is designed for organizations and individuals to learn from shared knowledge or experiences from infl Established in 2002, the GEM Report is an editorially independent report, hosted and published by UNESCO. To recovery and beyond: The report takes stock of the global progress on the adoption and implementation of legal guarantees on Access to Info Addressing culture as a global public good For almost 75 years, the UNESCO Courier has served as a platform for international debates on issues that concern the entire pla Lifelong learning is key to overcoming global challenges and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. representing a growing number of young people who are benefiting from the transformative power of education and collective effort.  Situated in the heart of Southern Transylvania the Haţeg Country UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) has been a haven of biodiversity for millions of years The unique region provides an insight into key milestones of our planet bearing evidence from the earliest geological eras 600 million years ago as well as housing significant classical and medieval sites it has become imperative to protect its natural resources it is our collective responsibility to safeguard the planet's limited water resources from harmful human activities The project works with UNESCO designated sites to test innovative local solutions aimed at promoting sustainable development and mitigating climate challenges The Haţeg Country UGGp project fully mobilised different partners and networks; it is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Bucharest which has joined forces with the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Climate Change at the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca The project also includes the Geopark’s volunteer network 6 schools from the local EduGeoparc network and local NGO partners to link scientific research with education and community action.  By leveraging the power of citizen science a key tool in addressing environmental challenges head-on the initiative is engaging local students and educators in research on critical issues of water quality and climate change This is empowering community members with the knowledge and skills to safeguard their water sources and contribute towards sustainable development the project is paving the way for future community-driven initiatives which are fundamental to ensuring long-term sustainable practices Hațeg Country UGGpWe are all together in this citizen science project which will undoubtedly help us in our effort to act effectively towards sustainable development goals and be an example for other geoparks in Romania and the Global Geoparks Network.  The positive response from participants underscores the impact of the project the academic partner of the University of Bucharest conducted training on the use of the sampling kits and ensured the accuracy of the collected data Participants thrived on the hands-on learning approach with many students expressing a newfound interest in water consumption and its environmental impacts "We analysed water samples and connected what we learnt in our Biology and Chemistry classes with real environmental issues," shared one inspired student highlighting the practical application of classroom knowledge.  The project not only educated students on the physical properties of water but also highlighted the detrimental effects of human activities and waste pollution on their local groundwater sources This aspect proved particularly eye-opening for the students who were able to observe first-hand the consequences of improper waste disposal in their communities.  Hațeg Country UGGpTesting drinking water sources is vital to the health and well-being of communities and engaging students in such educational activities is extremely beneficial This not only enriches the educational experience of students but also contributes to their development as responsible and informed citizens reported that students were eager to contribute to scientific research and learn about water consumption patterns in their villages and towns “The data we collected was surprising and motivated us to think critically about our local environment and how we can contribute to its preservation” Adina emphasised that the project results will inform communities about safe unconventional drinking water sources with this information being made available on the Haţeg Country UGGp’s website and its citizen science platform.  In addition to the 6 schools from the area of the Hațeg Country UGGp that will continue to collect data for this platform over the next 3 years other schools within the geopark have expressed interest in participating in future events Participants will continue to populate the interactive map on the online platform with more data building on the base of 68 samples from 18 communes already collected to further engage and educate local community members on the importance of safeguarding their precious water resources.  Hațeg Country UGGpIt undoubtedly paves the way for new actions that can be done here It paves the way for replicating the activity in other geoparks from Romania and of course it paves the way for maintaining a collaboration in this direction of water quality assessment the project is also contributing to assessing the water footprint of 2 local NGO partners and aims to propose a sustainability strategy that could limit the impact of their activities on the water resources.  we want to enhance the spirit of community that the geopark needs in order to achieve sustainable development” coordinator from the University of Bucharest and member of the Hațeg Country UNESCO Global Geopark team.  Empowered students like Alexia illustrate the success of Cristina and the Hațeg Country UNESCO Global Geopark team “The positive impact of this project will be felt for years to come” emphasising the power of multi-stakeholder collaboration and the strength of the community which is leveraging the successful coordination model led by the Hațeg Country Geopark This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals The fossilized plastron (left) and carapace (right) of the newly discovered turtle's shell The extinct turtle may have looked something like a red-bellied short-necked turtle (Emydura subglobosa) The turtles' freshwater habitat may have helped them survive Related: 10 coolest non-dinosaur fossils unearthed in 2021  The newfound species' geographic range and freshwater habitat likely helped it survive when its relatives and most terrestrial species could not which experts believe shared the island with D "This fits a previously observed pattern from North American faunas where terrestrial vertebrates were notably more impacted by the end-Cretaceous extinction than freshwater species," co-author Zoltan Csiki-Sava a paleontologist at the University of Bucharest in Romania Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox This difference in food availability is what allowed D vremiri to outlive its terrestrial counterpart In May 2021, paleontologists in Madagascar discovered another Cretaceous freshwater side-necked turtle that they also suspect survived the mass extinction event before later becoming extinct, Live Science previously reported —In photos: Tagging baby sea turtles —Amazing journey: World-traveling sea turtle goes home —Deep blue sea: Winning underwater photographs  Evidence of freshwater ecosystems being more resilient than terrestrial ecosystems to extinction events remains rare but findings like those in the new study could provide clues as to how freshwater species could fare when faced with upcoming ecological crisis caused by human activity such as climate change senior author Márton Rabi said in the statement.  The study was published online Feb. 8 in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology Giant tortoise babies of first-time 100-year-old 'Mommy' unveiled at zoo 'Seemingly impossible': Endangered tortoise becomes first-time mom at about 100 years old Amateur astronomer captures detailed photos of Croc's Eye and Whirlpool galaxies from backyard observatory a small mammal scampered over the forest floor on an ancient island this fuzzball was relatively diminutive—no larger than a rat But there was something odd about this distant relative of modern-day mammals Its domed head and surprisingly small brain were clues to how island life can dramatically alter an animal’s evolution Scientists know about this Cretaceous critter thanks to a partial skeleton unveiled earlier this year by Zoltán Csiki-Sava, a paleontologist at the University of Bucharest in Romania, and his colleagues. The researchers described the species as Litovoi tholocephalos—meaning dome-skulled ruler Litovoi’s importance to evolutionary history wasn’t immediately apparent When the fossilized mammal was discovered in Romania’s Haţeg Basin in 2014 it seemed to be another example of an archaic type of rodent-like mammal called a multituberculate The find was interesting because mammals are extremely rare in rocks this old other multituberculates had already been found in the same deposit Yet when Csiki-Sava and his colleagues examined the skull more closely using a CT scan “we came to understand this specimen has more to offer than simply being well preserved,” he says What made Litovoi stand out was its braincase, which was much smaller than it should have been for its body size. This feature, along with the fact that Litovoi has not been found anywhere else, hints that this little mammal was an ancient beneficiary of an evolutionary phenomenon known as the island effect, the island rule, or Foster’s Rule after biologist J. Bristol Foster who coined the concept in 1964 the Haţeg Basin in western Romania was largely submerged beneath an ancient sea the basic definition of the island effect goes like this: islands are isolated areas that often result in unique evolutionary changes in the species that live on them animals are often smaller than their mainland counterparts is famous for once being home to pint-sized elephants and small prehistoric humans popularly known as Hobbits But the island effect also goes the other way, and typically small animals—usually free from the ravages of large predators—become huge. Between five and three million years ago, for instance, an enormous rabbit named Nuralagus rex lived on the Spanish island of Menorca what we now know as Romania was inundated by the sea Small islands provided refuge to dinosaurs and other terrestrial species these species’ evolutionary pathways took some strange turns seems to be another example of the island effect “Brain reduction associated with island habitat was documented previously in hippos so small ones are advantageous on islands where resources are often limited The discovery fits in with other animal species unearthed in Romania that also show the evolutionary signs of island life herbivorous titanosaur is one such species the largest titanosaurs grew as long as a blue whale Romania’s shrunken Magyarosaurus was no bigger than a cow This carnivore is similar in size to its more famous cousin Velociraptor but only has two fingers on each hand instead of three and a double set of hyper-extendable killing claws instead of the standard one a relative of the famous dinosaur Velociraptor has odd adaptations as a result of its isolation If Litovoi’s tiny brain is a result of the island effect then the discovery pushes back the timeline of the first documented case of the island effect in mammals is another way evolution might drive animals to respond to island life Litovoi’s unique adaptations highlight something else Mammals in the age of dinosaurs are often characterized as small shrewlike insectivores that hid in the night until the reptilian reign of terror ended 66 million years ago But a vast accumulation of fossils over the past few decades has added nuance to this narrative It’s fair to say that mammals did stay relatively small during the heyday of the dinosaurs but they diversified into a variety of forms—from the prehistoric equivalents of raccoons and aardvarks to mammal cousins that lived like beavers and flying squirrels Multituberculates such as Litovoi are part of that story Oklahoma State University paleontologist Anne Weil dubs them “the most successful order of mammals to have lived Multituberculates flourished during the Mesozoic evolving into species of a variety of sizes and occupying environments from forests to deserts “Litovoi is further evidence of the kinds of specialization they were capable of,” Weil says Mammalian expression showed that even in the era of dinosaur dominance Part of the Tula Foundation and Hakai Institute family A 70 million-year-old fossil of an ancient freshwater turtle was discovered by scientists at a site called Hateg Basin in Transylvania Scientists claim the fossil belongs to a new species of freshwater turtle which survived the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs The new study explored the ecological and geographical conditions of the Hateg Basin in relation to its potential role in protecting species from the asteroid impact during the end of the Cretaceous period Scientists believe the Hateg Basin was a separate island that later shifted to Eastern Europe The massive impact of the Chicxulub asteroid killed almost all animal and plant species of Earth around 65 million years ago the new study sheds light on the initial yet rare evidence that species in freshwater ecosystems can survive more than those in terrestrial ecosystems The new species of the ancient freshwater turtle is called Dortoka vremiri, which was named after Cretaceous vertebrates expert Matyas Vremir who died in 2020, according to a published study in Journal of Systematic Palaeontology on Feb The study showed D. vremiri belongs to a family group known as side-necked turtles; which consists of a total of 16 species found in Australia, Africa, and South America, as per Live Science The ancient freshwater turtle was also likely to have lived with another ancient tortoise called Kallokibotion bajazidi became extinct along with most animals living in terrestrial ecosystems its freshwater ecosystem turtle counterpart survived the Cretaceous asteroid impact In addition, the recent discovery of another side-necked turtle called Sahonachelys mailakavava in Madagascar is believed to be a descendant of D. vremiri, as per a separate study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science in May 2021 This shows that the ancient Transylvanian freshwater turtle-where its first fossil was discovered in the Hateg Basin in the 1990s It also adds to the gradual mounting evidence that freshwater ecosystems have more protection against extinction events The new study has looked into the possibility that freshwater ecosystems like the Hateg Basin in Romania have certain ecological and geographical features that allow the thriving of freshwater species even after a natural global extinction phenomenon an offshore island off the coast of Romania in the Tethys Sea has used its location and geo-ecological conditions of its freshwater ecosystems to survive from the Chicxulub asteroid impact including the deadly post-impact climatical changes in the atmosphere The study highlights species in freshwater ecosystems may undergo biological adaptations in line with the ecological and geographical traits of their natural habitats The ancient Transylvanian turtle may have relied on decaying organic matter as its food even after the extinction event According to the National Geographic the physical characteristics and function of freshwater ecosystems allow their resources to be shared by different natural habitats The currents of these bodies of water are significant in the transfer of nutrients and other organic matter © 2025 NatureWorldNews.com All rights reserved This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences A host of fossils has been discovered near the Romanian town of Haţeg, including 15 species of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs — some of them dwarf dinosaurs — and enormous pterosaurs with 12-meter wingspans, prompting the establishment of the Haţeg Country Dinosaurs Geopark in 2005 And recently, researchers there unearthed a “reasonably complete and well-preserved skeleton” of an enigmatic mammal, also from the Late Cretaceous. The fossil represents a new mammal species and the first of its genus. Researchers dubbed it Litovoi tholocephalos, meaning “the leader with the domed skull,” in a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and its surroundings were isolated as an island in the Tethys Sea thought to have evolved from earlier island-dwelling had strange characteristics: a domed skull an unusually small brain and large olfactory bulbs The researchers suggested that the traits were likely consequences of the “island effect,” an evolutionary phenomenon in which species living in insular environments develop novel adaptations that often aren’t seen in their close evolutionary relatives or mainland contemporaries The team, led by Zoltán Csiki-Sava of the University of Bucharest compared the new animal to 533 species of mammals and closely related nonmammals finding that Litovoi has a substantially lower brain-to-body size ratio than other multituberculates that it fails to meet the threshold typically used to classify mammal species this island-dweller may have had outstanding sensory capabilities its olfactory bulbs — neural structures related to the sense of smell — are larger than those of almost every other mammal the team studied “Not all regions of the brain were tiny and … it likely had [a] particularly sharp sense of smell and keen eye control and possibly efficient hearing,” the researchers wrote A new genus and species of rhabdodontid ornithopod dinosaur has been identified from the fossilized skull bones found in the Haţeg Basin in western Romania Inhabitants of the ‘Island of the Dwarf Dinosaurs’ in the Cretaceous Transylvania: Transylvanosaurus platycephalus (front right) The newly-identified dinosaur species lived in what is now Transylvania about 70 million years ago (Late Cretaceous epoch) Scientifically named Transylvanosaurus platycephalus the ancient herbivore was approximately 2 m (6.6 feet) long and walked on two legs It belonged to Rhabdodontidae, a group of medium-sized iguanodontian dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous epoch of Europe Its fossilized cranial remains were discovered in the Late Cretaceous layers near Pui in the eastern part of the Haţeg Basin “Its nearest relatives lived in what is today France — this was a massive surprise to us,” said University of Tübingen paleontologist Felix Augustin and colleagues “How did Transylvanosaurus platycephalus find its way to the ‘Island of the Dwarf Dinosaurs’ in what is now Transylvania?” “Presumably a limited supply of resources in these parts of Europe at that time led to an adapted small body size.” which lasted from 145 to 66 million years ago Europe was a tropical archipelago,” they added “Transylvanosaurus platycephalus lived on one of the many islands together with other dwarf dinosaurs and giant flying pterosaurs which had wingspans of up to 10 m (33 feet).” “With each newly-discovered species we are disproving the widespread assumption that the Late Cretaceous fauna had a low diversity in Europe.” “The oldest finds assigned to Rhabdodontidae come from Eastern Europe — the animals could have spread westwards from there and later certain species could have returned to Transylvania,” the researchers said “Fluctuations in sea level and tectonic processes created temporary land bridges between the many islands and could have encouraged these animals to spread.” it can be assumed that almost all dinosaurs could swim to an extent including Transylvanosaurus platycephalus.” “They had powerful legs and a powerful tail “Another possibility is that various lines of rhabdodontid species developed in parallel in eastern and western Europe.” Precisely how Transylvanosaurus platycephalus ended up in the eastern part of the European archipelago remains unclear for now “We have currently too few data at hand to answer these questions,” Dr “We had only a few bones for the taxonomic classification and none longer than 12 cm (4.7 inches): the rear lower part of the skull with the occipital foramen and two frontal bones.” “On the inside of the frontal bone it was even possible to discern the contours of the brain of Transylvanosaurus platycephalus,” said Dr a paleontologist at the University of Zurich and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center A paper describing the discovery of Transylvanosaurus platycephalus was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology from the Upper Cretaceous of the Haţeg Basin a 65-million year old dinosaur egg nest is on display at the Info Centre of the Dinosaurs Geopark in Hateg The display marks the opening of the info center in Hateg an institution affiliated to the University of Bucharest “The tourists coming here in the heart of the Hateg area the major item on display is a dinosaur egg nest dating back to the Upper Cretaceous,” said the financial and patrimony manager of the Dino Geopark of Hateg area The Dinosaurs Geopark of Hateg is the only such protected area in Romania. It is gaining international recognition by being included in the European Network and the Global Network of Geoparks, under the aegis of UNESCO Oana Vasiliu We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used The new "dwarf dinosaur" species lends more evidence to the "island rule," which posits that animals evolving on islands become smaller than their mainland counterparts you might imagine a place populated by vampires and werewolves you can add "dwarf dinosaurs" to that list A group of researchers recently identified a new species of dinosaur from the region dubbing it Transylvanosaurus platycephalus "flat-headed reptile from Transylvania." And it's part of a group of dwarf dinosaurs that evolved to be much smaller than their relatives.  more like modern-day Indonesia or the Galápagos.  In a new study, published online Nov. 23 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology the researchers described  the newfound species from bone fragments from the forehead and from the lower back portion of the skull platycephalus would have measured just 6.5 feet (2 meters) long flat head and lived alongside other reptiles Related: Ancient Transylvanian turtle survived the extinction of the dinosaurs just prior to the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous But this new finding may suggest that diverse dinosaur forms were still very much a part of Cretaceous Europe's landscape an island spanning about 30,900 square miles (80,000 square kilometers) lay in the Hateg region where these dwarf dinosaurs have been found.  researchers analyzed thousands of reports of body size changes for over a thousand species and found that "the island rule" generally holds true — over generations large animals tend to become smaller when they're isolated on an island —World's largest pterosaur jawbone discovered in Transylvania —What lies beneath the Transylvanian castle that imprisoned 'Dracula'? —Transylvanian skeletons found with urns from the afterlife placed on their heads There are a few hypotheses behind why animals shrink on an island. It could be that the lack of large predators allows animals to stay small, evolutionary anthropologist Caitlin Schrein wrote in 2016 in the anthropology magazine Sapiens Island ecosystems may offer less variety in food perhaps leading to stunted growth in some animals And if there are no large predators on the island those smaller animals won't be removed from the population.  Rhabdodontidae dinosaurs were the most common small-to-medium herbivores in what is now Europe platycephalus have been found in modern-day France which at the time would have been a separate island As the archipelago formed and sea levels fluctuated land bridges between islands could have allowed the dinosaurs to spread out and evolve in isolation from each other.  They might even have dispersed between islands by swimming short distances Dinosaurs "had powerful legs and a powerful tail Dinosaurs might still roam Earth if it weren't for the asteroid, study suggests T. rex researchers eviscerate 'misleading' dinosaur leather announcement What does it take for people to flourish? Global study points to key factors Researchers have identified a new species of dwarf dinosaur in western Romania and have named it Transylvanosaurus platycephalus, or in layman's terms, a "flat-headed reptile from Transylvania." As reported by CNN, experts from the University of Tübingen published their findings in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology in November The team shared new details about the prehistoric creature after a closer examination of its skull bone fragments which were unearthed in a riverbed in the Transylvanian territory of Haţeg Basin in 2007 As shown in the illustration depicting the Transylvanosaurus platycephalus the species had some very distinctive features that set it apart from its other roaming relatives only reaching a body size of around 2 meters long hence the group's "dwarf dinosaur" categorization This discovery offers further support to what biologists call the "island rule," a theory that suggests large animals become stunted in their growth when isolated on islands while smaller species grow larger The reason for the opposing rates of evolution is unknown but it's thought that a shortage of resources on the island could be a contributing factor "Almost every terrestrial animal on this island was pretty small," study coauthor Felix Augustin explained in an email to CNN some of which reached gigantic body sizes — the reason for this is probably that they could fly and thus were not as severely impacted by the limited resources on the island." distinguishing feature of this species was the shape of their heads Transylvanosaurus platycephalus had remarkably wide and flat heads making them different from all previously reported reptiles in the Rhabdodontidae family — a group that lived about 70 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period The researchers involved in this study said the newly discovered species lived on the island alongside other dwarf dinosaurs They also said that their findings helped to disprove a widespread assumption that Europe had a low diversity of dinosaurs roaming the landscape during the late Cretaceous period Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter. 2010 (()=>{var e=async t=>{await(await t())()};(self.Astro||(self.Astro={})).load=e;window.dispatchEvent(new Event("astro:load"));})();When 'Pygmy' Dinosaurs Roamed The Earth By Meera Dolasia - 361 words 2 minutes Any mention of dinosaurs usually invokes images of huge creatures. However, Paleontologists now believe that there was a much smaller species of dinosaurs - the size of modern-day pets, that roamed the earth during the Cretaceous Period The notion of dwarf or pygmy dinosaurs was first suggested over a century ago, by fossil hunter Baron Franz Nopcsa, who lived in Hateg in modern-day Romania. But most Paleontologists dismissed the idea believing that the fossils were those of juvenile dinosaurs a new study conducted by Professor Michael Benton from the University of Bristol seems to prove that Hateg may indeed have been home to at least three species of dwarf dinosaurs Professor Benton's conclusions are based on new testing methods that revealed that the fossils discovered were indeed those of fully-grown dinosaurs Another species identified was a 13 ft. long hadrosaurid (duck-billed) dinosaur called Telmatosaurus, which the scientists believe is related to the Maisaura dinosaur A third dwarf species, a two-legged herbivore, called Zalmoxes, which weighed less than a quarter ton is believed to have evolved from the 26-ft long Tenontosaurus, that weighed as much as two tons While nobody knows for sure why this particular area was home to these tiny dinosaurs, Professor Benton has a theory. During the Cretaceous Period, a large portion of Europe was under water, and Hateg, which today is a landlocked area in central Romania The Professor believes that some of the dinosaurs got trapped on the island and given the limited food resources adapted and evolved into a much smaller species the disoveries changes the entire perception of dinosaurs whose very name means 'Great Lizard' in the Greek language Maybe they will now be known as 'Microsaurs' and Triceratops that makes me want to have shape shifting powers so I could shape shift into anything I want to like my personal favorite is the Pteranodons so I could fly myself anywhere Reply 0 Likes tiara 6 years ago love it!!!!! Reply 0 Likes tt 8 years ago amazing Reply 0 Likes cool dino dude 8 years ago guess that land before time movie was not quite so fake with the tinysaurus idea Reply 0 Likes jongisur 9 years ago i wish thay wher alive right now Reply 1 Like #odell 10 years ago cool Reply 0 Likes omar 11 years ago how dinosaur is a live Reply 0 Likes Ελληνική Κορίτσ 11 years ago δεινόσαυροι είναιc έτσι δροσερό!!! Reply 0 Likes dumbhumbugmum45 11 years ago really idk so funny Reply 0 Likes falcon 11 years ago still like peregrine falcon more X (Twitter) © 2025 DOGO Media A duck-billed dinosaur from Transylvania has been discovered with a tumour on its face – the first time a fossilised tumorous facial swelling has been documented lived between 69-67 million years ago and was discovered in the the Haţeg County Dinosaurs Geopark Scans of the tumour showed it suffered from a condition called ameloblastoma This is a non-cancerous tumour known to affect the jaw other mammals and reptiles – but has never been seen before in a fossilised animal In a study of the fossil, published in Scientific Reports researchers said the tumour probably did not cause the dinosaur any pain in the early stages The dinosaur was also known to have died before adulthood leading researchers to consider whether the tumour played a part in its death Romania's Valley of the Dinosaurs is an area where many dinosaur fossils have been found these dinosaurs lived on a series of islands in the Tethys Ocean and because of this isolated and small environment they grew far smaller than their relatives living on the mainland A fully-grown Telmatosaurus could reach 4m in length while its relatives could reach between 10 and 15m in length As well as being smaller than their mainland cousins island living is also thought to have led to an increase in disease the authors note the uncontrolled development of the ameloblastoma could have led to it spreading to other areas of the muzzle Another possibility is that it was killed by members of its own herd because of its abnormal appearance: "The in vivo appearance .. would have set this particular individual apart from other herd members possibly leaving it vulnerable to predator attack," they wrote "Such a predisposition of predators to select and attack individuals bearing malformations has been noted before." Zoltán Csiki-Sava of the University of Bucharest said: "We know from modern examples that predators often attack a member of the herd that looks a little different or is even slightly disabled by a disease The tumour in this dinosaur had not developed to its full extent at the moment it died but it could have indirectly contributed to its early demise." said the fossil had been found at the site of an ancient river In such settings it is extremely rare to find a complete skeleton meaning it is "almost impossible" to work out any specific cause of death the find helps improve our understanding the evolution of tumours an expert in ancient diseases and injuries said: "The discovery of an ameloblastoma in a duck-billed dinosaur documents that we have more in common with dinosaurs than previously realised."