T-Rex doesn’t want to be fed. He wants to hunt. Can’t just suppress 65 million years of gut instinct–Dr. Alan Grant, Jurassic Park

Who doesn’t love dinosaurs? From the Tyrannosaurus Rex to the Brachiosaurus to the Triceratops–they are the stuff from which movies are made, toys are created, and imaginations flourish.

There are so many unique and interesting species of dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago. And, yet, each year it seems as though new fossils and new species which existed thousands of millions of years ago are unearthed–none larger , however, than that of the dinosaur. In fact, when Robert Plot discovered the first recorded dinosaur femur in 1677, he believed it to be a giant human who dwelled in the Oxfordshire area of England.  However, paleontologists have long since dispelled that theory by exhuming the remains of a Jurassic Park that once lived. And, science shows that man may have only scratched the surface regarding the number of species that still await to be found.

The newest dinosaur discovered was revealed in an article published by the Oxford Academic Zoological Journal in mid-February. Called the Riojavenatrix Lacustris (Riojavenatrix, meaning “La Rioja huntress,” and Lacustris, meaning “from the lake” in Latin) creates a pretty fitting name for this lake-dwelling carnivore. This genus was discovered close by the Enciso Group, a geological formation from Rioja, Spain. Traits of this dinosaur were formerly attributed to the Baryonyx, but just as recently as of this month, it was officially named a new genus. The Riojavenatrix, a lake-dwelling monster of the Mesozoic Era, was massive and may have eaten tiny sharks at the time.

Sophomore Carson Jones, a dinosaur fanatic since youth, is particularly taken by this discovery. “It is interesting seeing how new dinosaurs have been discovered over the years.” With an awed fascination, he adds, “But, it’s also scary that they could eat whole sharks for breakfast!” 

While humans continue to battle nature’s elements in a game called Survival of the Fittest, at least they don’t have to fear being eaten by dinosaurs on the way to work or school…yet.

Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?–Dr. Alan Grant, Jurassic Park