Dinosaur remains were first discovered in Chile

Researchers said Friday that the remains of the “Gonkoken nanoi”, a type of herbivorous dinosaur previously not found in the Southern Hemisphere, have been discovered in Chilean Patagonia, a center of important fossil discoveries in recent years.

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Up to four meters long, weighing a ton and endowed with a duck’s beak, this species lived 72 million years ago in the far south of Chile.

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Alexandre Vargas, director of the Paleontology Network at the University of Chile and one of the authors of the study, describes a study published in the journal Science Advances on Friday and presented in Santiago.

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The discovery of these remains from 2013 reveals that Chilean Patagonia served as a refuge for a very ancient species of hadrosaurs, duck-billed dinosaurs that were common in North America, Asia and Europe during the Cretaceous period.

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Their presence in these remote southern lands has taken scientists by surprise, who will have to “understand how their ancestors got there,” according to Mr. Vargas.

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“Gonkoken nanoi” is the fifth species of dinosaur discovered in Chile after “Chilesaurus diegosuarezi”, “Atacamatitan chilensis”, “Arackar licanantay” and “Stegouros elengassen” found in the same area.

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France Press agency

The name Gonkoken comes from the language of the Tehuelche, the first inhabitants of the area until the end of the 19th century, and means “like a wild duck or swan”.