Thursday, May 11, 2006

Lebanon's 1st Dinosaur

First nonavian dinosaur from Lebanon: a brachiosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jezzine District. 2006. E. Buffetaut, et al. Naturwissenschaften. Published On-line.

Abstract: Two sauropod teeth from an Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) fluviodeltaic sandstone near Jezzine (Southern Lebanon) are the first nonavian dinosaur remains to be reported from Lebanon. Their distinctive character places them within Brachiosauridae. The sauropod teeth from Lebanon are a significant addition to the very scanty dinosaur record from the Levant, which hitherto consisted mainly of very poorly preserved and not easily identifiable specimens. The Basal Cretaceous Sandstone of Lebanon, thus, appears to be a potentially important source of fossil vertebrate material.

From Yahoo News:

Fossil-hunters have uncovered the first dinosaur remains in Lebanon, adding precious evidence to the theory that millions of years ago, the Middle East was covered with lush forests where giant reptiles roamed.

Eric Buffetaut (left) of France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Dany Azar of the Lebanese University describe two teeth of an animal related to Brachiosaurus.

A complete tooth was found near the southern city of Jezzine last year and another, incomplete, was discovered there in 1969.

Photo from HERE