New species of bird-like dinosaur identified in Canada

A group of Canadian scientists have identified a new bird-like species of dinosaur that lived nearly 71 million years ago and was about the size of a person.

The species has been named as the Albertavenator curriei, which means Currie’s Alberta hunter. The species, which was found in Alberta, has been named in honour of famous Canadian palaeontologist Philip J. Currie.

The discovery highlights the importance of finding and examining skeletal material from these rare dinosaurs.

The paper regarding the discovery of the species was published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

Key highlights

• The bones of Albertavenator curriei were found in the badlands surrounding the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Canada.

• Albertavenator shares a great resemblance with its close relative Troodon inequalis, which lived around 76 million years ago; around five million years before Albertavenator.

• Albertavenator and Troodon walked on two legs. They were covered in feathers and were about the size of a person.

• However, new comparisons of bones forming the top of the head reveal that Albertavenator curriei had a distinctively shorter and more robust skull than Troodon.

• Teeth from a jaw that likely pertains to Albertavenator appears very similar to the teeth of Troodon, making them unusable for distinguishing between the two species.