That's Cool, I Like Them Big!: New Dinosaur Discovered Named 'Thunder Thighs', Literally



Seen here kicking a raptor like the sexy little football that he is, a Brontomerus mcintoshi - (bronto, "thunder" and merós, "thigh") demonstrates the powerful leg muscles for which they were named.

The new species, described in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, is a sauropod - the family of dinosaurs famous for their long necks and tails.

It could have given other animals a hefty kick, say its discoverers.

"If predators came after it, it would have been able to boot them out of the way," said Dr Mike Taylor, from University College London, UK.

"What's interesting is that if it were a sauropod that could move particularly fast, you would expect to see very strong muscles on the back of the leg to pull it along. But we don't; this is the opposite. It seems most likely to us that what this is about is being able to deliver a strong kick," he told BBC News.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12542664

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