Thaindian News

By Madhuri Dey
Aug 31, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Romanian and American researchers have discovered the remains of a new kind of dinosaurs which bears similarities with the frightening Velociraptor. “Balaur bondoc” meaning “stocky dragon” were discovered in Romania by geologist Matyas Vremir of Transylvanian Museum Society. The study that has been published in the Tuesday’s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science provides a significant light on the predatory nature of the dinosaurs.

Unlike the known Velociraptor, Balaur Bondoc’s each foot contained two sharp claws. University of Bucharest’s Zoltan Csiki who has co-authored the report has mentioned to media sources that the found Balaur Bondoc is extremely unusual and that it bears close similarities with not only animals like Velociraptor but also the feathered dinosaurs in China. Zoltan Csiki has mentioned that Balaur might be counted as one of the largest predators in the whole ecosystem of Romania. According to him, around 70 million years ago the higher sea level made the region more like an island archipelago. Mark Norell of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, another co-author of the report, held that while the researchers were expecting the existence of carnivorous animals in the Romania Fauna, finding Balaur Bondoc has been thrilling.

The found fossil of Balaur is a partial skeleton that consists of hip, tailbone, leg, hand, arms, rib and backbone. The bone structure suggests that the animal was around 6 to 7 feet long with a stockier build. The animal had big toe with large claw which had the capacity to extend. A second toe also consisted of a large claw. The pelvis area of Balaur has immense muscle attachment area which indicates that the animal depended on its strength more than on its speed to get its prey.