The world’s first swimming dinosaur

Hayley Power, Science Editor, outlines the recent discovery made by paleontologists in the Gobi Desert

THE skeleton of a new species of dinosaur, Natovenator polydontus, has been discovered by palaeontologists in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia (now devoid of water, but thought to have been home to large lakes and other bodies of water millions of years ago) and scientists believe the animal may have been able to swim. Based on fossil evidence, it is suggested to have been a predator that dived like a duck to catch its prey.

showed “several articulated dorsal ribs … to streamline the body” as seen in many modern-day diving birds. In addition, it also shares many anatomical adaptations with aquatic reptiles, such as “…a dorsoventrally compressed ribcage.” These findings have helped to confirm the aquatic nature of the species and prove the theory that some dinosaurs were capable of swimming and hunting in aquatic or semi-aquatic environments. This is a question which has long been debated in the field of palaeontology.

Evidence suggests that the dinosaur was a very small theropod (a subgroup of carnivorous dinosaurs which were bi- pedal, and whose anatomy is characterised by having hollow bones and three clawed toes on each limb). Its neck was long and goose-like, and its snout was full of holes for nerves, indicating that it had an extremely sensitive facial sense of touch, which it may have used to detect its prey in water, much like a crocodile. Similarly to another dinosaur discovered in Mongolia, the Halszkaraptor, the Natovenator used its forearms to propel itself through the water. These species would have shared the waters with several other predators, such as a newly discovered prehistoric crocodile. Australian scientists discovered the first fossil of this species at the start of 2022, stating that the last meal of the reptile was a “young dinosaur” (perhaps Natovenator itself).

2022 was a great year for dinosaur discoveries, including a 25-metre-long sauropod skeleton found in Portugal in August. We can’t wait to see what 2023 will bring.

Natovenator is predicted to have lived 145-66 million years ago, during the upper Cretaceous period. Its surprisingly well-preserved skeleton has revealed that the dinosaur possessed many adaptations appropriate for swimming, with the collaborative research paper produced by the Seoul National University, the University of Alberta and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences stating: “Its body shape suggests that Natovenator was a potentially capable swimming predator.”

Scientists found that the fossil