New species of dinosaur found in Mexico was ‘very communicative’, says researcher
- The dinosaur specimen, which has been named Tlatolophus galorum, is thought to have died around 72 million years ago
- The species is thought to have used low-frequency sounds like elephants to talk to each other
A new species of dinosaur identified by Mexican paleontologists is believed to have been “very communicative” and used low-frequency sounds like elephants to talk to each other, a researcher said on Friday.
The specimen, which has been named Tlatolophus galorum, is thought to have died around 72 million years ago in what is now Mexico’s northern state of Coahuila.
After initially discovering the tail, paleontologists said they later found most of its skull, a 1.32-metre (4.3-ft) bony hollow crest through which it communicated, as well as bones such as its femur and shoulder.
“We are calculating the size, which could be between eight metres and 12 metres long because just the tail is around six metres,” said paleobiologist Angel Alejandro Ramirez.
“We believe that these dinosaurs were very communicative. They even produced and perceived low-frequency sounds like those made by elephants, which travel several kilometres and are imperceptible to humans,” added Ramirez.