Remains of 'hunchback' dinosaur discovered in Spain
A 'hunchback' dinosaur that roamed the Earth 130 million years ago has been unearthed in Spain.
Published: 6:30AM BST 09 Sep 2010
A new species of dinosaur, Concavenator corcovatus, with an unusual hump-like structure of the vertebrae and a series of small bumps on the ulna, discovered in Spain Photo: AFP/GETTY
The meat eater was almost 20ft long, about 6ft tall and weighed around four-and-a-half tons. It has been dubbed "the hunchback hunter of Las Hoyas" where it was found near the city of Cuenca in western Spain. The previously unknown creature which has been officially named Concavenator corcovatus is one of the most complete dinosaur fossils yet dug up in Europe.
Professor Francisco Ortega said the "exquisitely preserved" skeleton represents a new species of carcharodontosaurid – a member of the predatory theropods that included T Rex. They were previously believed to be only confined to south of the equator so the discovery described in Nature provides insights into the early evolution of theropods.
Prof Ortega, of the National University of Distance Education in Madrid, said C corcovatus has "two unusual features" – the pointed humplike structure on its back and a series of small bumps on the forearms. This unique 'hunchback' has never previously been described in dinosaurs whereas the bumps are similar to 'quill knobs' found in many modern birds where wing feathers are anchored to the bone with ligaments.
As well as its peculiar spine C corcovatus could help shed light on the origin of feathers on theropods from which today's birds descended. Scales do not have follicles so it is believed the structures on the arms were pieces of skin similar to birds' feathers. Prof Ortega said: "Carcharodontosaurs were the largest predatory dinosaurs, and their early evolutionary history seems to be more intricate than was previously thought.
"Here we describe an almost complete and exquisitely preserved skeleton of a medium-sized theropod from the Lower Cretaceous series." He added: "Concavenator shows the combination of scale and non-scale skin appendages exhibited in present-day poultry was already present in large theropod dinosaurs 130 million years ago." The researchers also suggest the dinosaur could help to identify some fragmentary theropod remains from the European Lower Cretaceous – a geologic period stretching from 146 to 100 million years ago.
