Denver paleontologist finds new dinosaur species

Published April 21, 2013 6:33pm ET



DENVER (AP) — A curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science says he has found fossilized bones of a new dinosaur species in a Madagascar cliff.

Joseph Sertich, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the museum, tells The Denver Post (http://bit.ly/ZHqW3U ) he excavated the vertebrae and ribs of Dahalokely tokana (“dah-HAH-loo-KAY-lee too-KAH-nah”) near the city of Antsiranana in 2007 and 2010.

It took several years, but Sertich says a research team was able to confirm a new species.

He says the dinosaur would have been between 9 and 14 feet long and lived about 90 million years ago. That period of time is significant because it helps fill a gap in the fossil record.

Sertich says it’s unclear if the bones will be displayed.

The name Dahalokely tokana means “lonely small bandit” in the Malagasy language.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com