Scientists in northern Mexico reveal a five meter tail from a hadrosaur dating to about 72 million years ago, found with nearby bones for study.
The desert discovery highlights northern Mexico as a promising site for Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, with a remarkably intact tail ready for analysis.
Preserved details of the tail offer new insights into hadrosaur anatomy, helping researchers refine estimates of size, posture, and movement.
Nearby hip bones and other fragments suggest the tail represented roughly half the animal’s total length, informing how the creature carried itself.
The tail has been moved to the town of General Cepeda for careful cleaning and further preparation by local paleontologists.
This finding underscores the desert regions of northern Mexico as productive landscapes for uncovering Late Cretaceous life, and motivates ongoing study to place the tail in context with other remains. Citation: field team report from a northern Mexican paleontology program.