Brazilian paleontologists last week proudly put on display a skeleton of a crocodile that roamed the earth in the time of the dinosaurs 90 million years ago.
The remains of the Baurusuchus salgadoensis were well preserved and included a complete head, said Pedro Henrique Nobre from the University of Rio department of geology, where the presentation was held.
"Finding a fossil is rare, but finding a collection of fossils [from the same animal] is even more rare and finding an intact head is extraordinary," Nobre said.
PHOTO: AP
The Baurusuchus was 3.5m long, and scientists estimate it weighed 400kg.
The paleontologists also presented a life-size reconstruction of what they believe the creature looked like.
The Baurusuchus remains were found 15 years ago in the western region of the state of Sao Paulo. It is the first time they have gone on display after years of restoration.
Unlike modern-day crocodiles, the Baurusuchus lived on land in a dry area. The location of the creature's nasal pasages indicated that it could not spend much time underwater, Nobre said.
The reptile had longer and more powerful rear legs than modern crocodiles, and the animal's teeth indicte that it was an active predator, he added.
The Baurusuchus belongs to the same family of ancient reptiles whose remains have been found in Argentina, southern Africa and the region between India and Pakistan. The scientists said their discovery suggests that an ancient land bridge linked South America to Indo-Pakistan.
The creature lived in the Cretaceous period, which lasted from 144 to 65 million years ago. It was the last period during which dinosaurs lived.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
RSS