EVIDENCE of a sharp toothed tree climbing dinosaur has been discovered and experts are calling it the “Monkeydactyl”.
The ancient creature is thought be the oldest example of an animal with ‘opposed thumbs’.
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Opposable thumbs are usually a feature associated with humans and monkeys.
They set us apart from other species because they help us use our hands to do things like gripping and opening items.
The Monkeydactyl fossil was found in the Tiaojishan Formation of Liaoning in China.
Scientists also refer to the creature as Kunpengopterus antipollicatus.
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An international team of researchers used a small CT scanner to find out more about the dinosaur’s structure.
This is how they discovered its opposable thumbs and beak lined with sharp teeth.
The creature also had a 85cm (33.5 inch) wingspan so may have flew between trees when it wasn’t climbing up them.
Monkeydactyl’s have been put in the pterosaurs category of dinosaurs.
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This group are thought to have lived in trees but have never shown evidence of opposable thumbs before.
A study about the dinosaur has been published the journal Current Biology.
Fion Waisum Ma, co-author of the study and PhD researcher at the University of Birmingham, said: “The fingers of ‘Monkeydactyl’ are tiny and partly embedded in the slab.
“Thanks to micro-CT scanning, we could see through the rocks, create digital models and tell how the opposed thumb articulates with the other finger bones.
“This is an interesting discovery. It provides the earliest evidence of a true opposed thumb, and it is from a pterosaur – which wasn’t known for having an opposed thumb.”
The scientists think the Monkeydactyl evolved its thumbs over time so it could separate from other pterosaurs in the area and access a different niche in the environment.
Why did the dinosaurs die out?
Here’s the main theory…
The dinosaur wipe-out was a sudden mass extinction event on Earth.
It wiped out roughly three-quarters of our planet’s plant and animal species around 66million years ago.
This event marked the end of the Cretaceous period, and opened the Cenozoic Era, which we’re still in today.
Scientists generally believe that a massive comet or asteroid around 9 miles wide crashed into Earth, devastating the planet.
This impact is said to have sparked a lingering “impact winter”, severely harming plant life and the food chain that relied on it.
More recent research suggests that this impact “ignited” major volcanic activity, which also led to the wiping-out of life.
Some research has suggested that dinosaur numbers were already declining due to climate changes at the time.
But a study published in March 2019 claims that dinosaurs were likely “thriving” before the extinction event.
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In other archaeology news, an Ancient Egyptian city has been uncovered after 3,000 years and experts have hailed it the most “important discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun”.
An unearthed stone slab dating back to the Bronze Age may represent Europe’s oldest map.
And, a new study claims to finally provide some answers to why a 17th century bishop was buried with a foetus.
What do you think of the ‘Monkeydactyl’ dinosaur? Let us know in the comments…
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
