Beijing, Oct 26 (PTI) Chinese geologists have discovered a new species of fossilised dinosaur in Lanzhou Basin in northwest China's Gansu Province, wh

The scientists, who named the new dinosaur species 'Lanzhoumagniden', say it lived on the earth about 100 million years ago and is a kind of plant-eating dinosaur with huge teeth.

The single biggest tooth of the dinosaur is 14 cm long and 7.5 cm wide, the biggest known in the world, said Li Daqing, a research fellow with the Geology and Minerals Prospecting Institute of the Gansu Provincial Geology and Minerals Bureau.

Li said, the dinosaur's lower jaw is one meter long, with 14 tooth slots on each side and a single tooth slot is four cm wide, claiming this has also been discovered for the first time in the world.

Judging from its huge jaw and ribs, Li and his colleagues estimated the dinosaur to be 10 meters long and 4.2 meters high, weighing 5,500 kilograms and walking on four feet and sometimes on two feet.

Initial research shows that Lanzhoumagniden is in close link with the Lurdusaurus arenatus of the early Cretaceous period discovered in Africa, both of which belong to the Styracosternans species.

Discovery of the Lanzhoumagniden expands the geological distribution of Styracosternans from Africa to Asia, indicating a close relationship between the African and Asian continents, Li was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. (THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

Source Citation:"Beijing, Oct 26 (PTI) Chinese geologists have discovered a new species of fossilised dinosaur in Lanzhou Basin in northwest China's Gansu Province, which lived 100 million years ago." Asia Africa Intelligence Wire (Oct 26, 2005): NA. Popular Magazines. Gale. BROWARD COUNTY LIBRARY. 13 Oct. 2009
.