Dinosaurs: Scientists discover tiny dino the size of a cat!
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The tiny dinosaurs would have been covered in protective armour
If they were still roaming the Earth today, how would you feel about having a dinosaur as a pet?
Well, scientists have discovered a previously unknown dinosaur in southern Argentina which they believe would have been the size of your average house cat!
Its fossilised remains were dug up near a dam in Patagonia in Rio Negro province's La Buitrera paleontological zone.
The scientists believe the creature, named Jakapil kaniukura, lived about 100 million years ago and is likely to have walked upright on its back legs.
Lead paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguia and his colleagues found a partial skeleton of the tiny dino along with 15 tooth fragments featuring a leaf-like shape, similar to iguana teeth.
The dinosaur's fossilised remains were dug up over the past decade
Its small, yet armoured, body would have served as protection from potential predators, with the disk-shaped armour running along its neck and back all the way down to its tail.
The dinosaur was about five feet long, including its tail, and only weighed between four and seven kilograms.
The scientists who found the fossil say the discovery is the first of its kind.
At the moment, around 700 different dinosaur species have been discovered and named. However, palaeontologists think there could be many more!
The dinosaur would have been about five feet long
The new Jakapil kaniukura species is part of the thyreophoran dinosaur group.
This also includes the Stegosaurus, known for its bony back plates and spiky tail, and tank-like Ankylosaurus, which would have been covered in armour and had a club-like tail.
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