A duck-billed herbivorous dinosaur lived on the river plains of Patagonia in southern Chile 72 million years ago.
A paleontologist checks fossilised bones of the ‘Gonkoken nanoi’, a newly identified duck-billed dinosaur that inhabited the Chilean Patagonian area, at El valle del rio de las Chinas, near Torres del Paine, Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on June 15, 2023. Universidad de Chile/Handout via REUTERS
According to the study published in Science Advances, the dinosaur, dubbed Gonkoken nanoi, weighed up to a metric ton and could grow to 4m long.
This investigation has spanned almost a decade after an expedition led by the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) unearthed fragments of yellowish bones at the base of a hillside close to the popular tourist destination Torres del Paine in Patagonia.
Paleontologists work at the place where the fossilised bones of the ‘Gonkoken nanoi’ were found, a newly identified duck-billed dinosaur, that inhabited the Chilean Patagonian area, at El valle del rio de las Chinas, near Torres del Paine, Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on June 15, 2023. Universidad de Chile/ Handout via REUTERS
‘At first, we thought it was from the same group as other South American hadrosaurs, but as the study progressed, we realised that it was something unprecedented,’ the main author of the study Jhonathan Alarcon told Reuters.
Alarcon and his team painstakingly removed more than 100 pieces, careful not to damage others. Then, the scientists checked that the bones belonged to the same species and compared them with existing research to confirm it was a new species.
‘The Gonkoken nanoi is not an advanced duck-billed dinosaur, but rather an older transitional duck-billed lineage: an evolutionary link to advanced forms,’ Alexander Vargas, another study author, told Reuters.
A paleontologist checks a fossilised bone of the ‘Gonkoken nanoi’, a newly identified duck-billed dinosaur, that inhabited the Chilean Patagonian area, at El valle del rio de las Chinas, near Torres del Paine, Magallanes and Antarctic region, Chile, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on June 15, 2023. Universidad de Chile/ Handout via REUTERS
Scientists have used this research to digitally reconstruct the skeleton and are hoping to 3-D print it for public viewing.
What’s in a name? Gonkoken combines two words from the Aonikenk language, ‘Gon’ meaning similar or similar to and ‘koken’ meaning wild duck or swan. The indigenous Aonikenk people lived in Patagonia until the end of the 19th century.
Alarcon says that ‘nanoi’ is in recognition of Mario ‘nano’ Ulloa, a former ranch keeper who gave the team logistical support when they first discovered the species.
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