- BERLIN (Reuters) -- German
scientists have unearthed the biggest collection of dinosaur fossils ever
found in the country, including bones that could belong to previously unknown
species, researchers said on Wednesday.
-
- "This is the largest discovery of its kind in Germany
-- you could call it a dinosaur graveyard," said Klaus-Peter Lanser
of the Museum of Natural History in Muenster, western Germany, which put
the fossils on show this week.
-
- Scientists think the 130 million year-old fragments of
bones and teeth come from six different species that could be related to
the predatory carnivores Velociraptor and Deinonychus, as well as from
prehistoric crocodiles and tortoises.
-
- "Dinosaur remains have been found before in Germany
but this find is unique because of the variety of dinosaur species to have
left traces in the same place," said Franck Tafertshufer, a local
authority spokesman in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which backed
the dig.
-
- Staff at the Muenster museum found the fossils during
a two-year excavation of a five-metre (16-ft) deep trench, which Lanser
believes was a prehistoric watering hole.
-
- Copyright © 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited
without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable
for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance
thereon. http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?t
ype=worldNews&storyID=543216§ion=news
|
