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The roughly 1.5 meters long species, thought to have lived
200 million years ago, had a "unique suite of features of its
tibial articulations," the publication's abstract said.
The remains of a hip and tibia bone belonging to a "Tachiraptor
admirabilis" were uncovered after 20 years of investigation.
"The (dinosaur's) generic name derives from Tachira, the
Venezuelan state where the fossil was found, and raptor (Latin
for thief), in reference to the probable predatory habits of the
animal," the statement said.
"The specific epithet honors (South American liberation hero)
Simon Bolivar's 'Admirable Campaign,' in which La Grita, the
town where the type locality is located, played a strategic
role." The military campaign freed much of South America from
Spanish control.
The scientists concluded that the species may have lived in the
initial Jurassic phase and could have been the ancestor of the
menacing T. Rex dinosaur.
They are hopeful that further excavations in the formation made
up of volcanic rocks may yield more fossil troves.
(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Alexandra Ulmer;
Editing by Richard Chang)
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