In 1914, German paleontologists led by Richard Markgraf unearthed the fossils of Tameryraptor markgrafi in the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert, SciencePost reported.
Scientists found a giant horned dinosaur from Egypt named Tameryraptor markgrafi after discovering lost photographs of fossils that were destroyed during World War II, The Sun reported.
In 2023, researchers from the University of Tübingen in Germany discovered previously unknown photographs of the lost fossils in the Huene Archive, SciencePost reported. These photographs, dating from the 1940s, show the fossils in their entirety before their destruction and reveal that they were once exhibited. Thanks to these unpublished images, researchers can finally study the characteristics of the dinosaur, which was not possible after the loss of the original fossils.
The name Tameryraptor markgrafi is derived from the ancient Egyptian name Ta-Mery, meaning "the promised land," and honors Richard Markgraf, the fossil collector who exhumed the remains, The Scottish Sun mentioned. The inclusion of "raptor" in the name emphasizes the predatory nature of the dinosaur.
Tameryraptor markgrafi lived about 95 million years ago in the region that is now part of Egypt, revealing a new facet of prehistory in North Africa and suggesting a more diverse dinosaur fauna than previously imagined, SciencePost reported.
In 1914, German paleontologists led by Richard Markgraf unearthed the fossils of Tameryraptor markgrafi in the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert, SciencePost reported.
The fossils were stored in the Bavarian State Collection of Paleontology and Geology (BSPG) in Germany, where they were carefully studied and preserved, The Sun reported. However, in 1944, during a bombing raid in World War II, the building where the fossils were stored was destroyed by fire, resulting in the loss of the specimens.
For decades, scientists believed that these fossils had been definitively lost, SciencePost noted. The only remnants of the discovery were Dr. Ernst Stromer's notes, illustrations of the bones, and black-and-white photographs of the skeletons. Stromer had initially classified the specimen as a member of the Carcharodontosaurus group, known for their imposing size and sharp teeth.
Initially, scientists thought these fossil remains belonged to a large theropod dinosaur known as Carcharodontosaurus. However, further research on the photos revealed differences from Carcharodontosaurus, leading to the identification of a new species, Tameryraptor markgrafi.
An examination of the photos revealed differences, including a prominent horn, a different skull shape, and an enlarged frontal brain. The fossils of Tameryraptor markgrafi have several features not found in other Carcharodontosaurus specimens, including symmetrical teeth, tiny eyes, and a small rounded horn on the bridge of its nose.
"What we saw in the historical images surprised us all," said Maximilian Kellermann, the study's first author, according to The Sun. "Stromer's original classification was thus incorrect. We identified a completely different, previously unknown predatory dinosaur species here and named it Tameryraptor markgrafi," Kellermann said, according to The Sun.
"This work shows that it can be worthwhile for paleontologists to dig not only in the ground, but also in old archives," said Oliver Rauhut, another author of the study, according to The Sun.
Tameryraptor markgrafi, measuring about ten meters long, differs from more recent Carcharodontosaurus found in Morocco. This finding suggests that the diversity of predatory dinosaurs in Africa during the Cretaceous period was greater than previously thought.
SciencePost suggested that several other species, like Deltadromeus, shared between Egypt and Morocco, could also reveal more distinct and previously ignored specimens.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.