Discovery of fish-eating raptor in Argentina points to prehistoric links with China

Scientists have unearthed a new species of raptor in Argentina, distinguished by a telltale curved claw that mirrors those found on velociraptors in China, despite the vast 19,000 km (11,800 miles) distance separating the locations. This discovery indicates that these dinosaurs were closely related, sharing a common ancestor from a period when continents were joined. The findings, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, are prompting a reassessment of how widely ancient creatures roamed the Earth. Matias Motta, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum, highlighted the remarkable preservation of anatomical structures in animals with diverse lifestyles. A team of paleontologists has been studying the new species in southern Argentine Patagonia since 2018, aiming to understand the region during the Late Cretaceous period (143 to 66 million years ago). The fossil was discovered just before a snowstorm temporarily halted their excavation. Initially unsure of the find due to the fossil being embedded in rock, the team eventually identified it as a raptor.

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What is remarkable is the preservation of certain anatomical structures in animals with very different lifestyles