Dinosaur bone discovery sparks new paleontological interest
In northern Tajikistan, in the Sughd region, scientists have discovered a dinosaur bone dated 85 million years ago. During excavations in the village of Kansai, they also came across the remains of smaller animals from the Cretaceous period, such as turtles, crocodiles, amphibians, fish, and lizards.
2:31 PM EST, November 12, 2024
The excavations took place between October 20 and 28 with the participation of Russian paleontologists from Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and Moscow, along with two scientists from Tajikistan. Although they found the dinosaur bone, researchers have not yet determined which part of the body it comes from. This will be clarified in further research, explains Umied Nabiev, one of the Tajik participants in the expedition.
The ongoing research, directed by Professor Pavel Skutschas from St. Petersburg State University, primarily concentrated on the remains of smaller creatures. The scientists uncovered various fossils, including fish, lizards, frogs, crocodiles, and turtles. A research team member pointed out that present-day frogs have remained largely unchanged, retaining shapes and sizes similar to those of their ancient predecessors.
The village of Kansai has been the site of significant paleontological discoveries. In the 1960s, the Paleontological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, led by the renowned paleontologist Anatoly Rozhdestvensky, discovered an almost completely preserved femur of a Therizinosaurus—a dinosaur from the group of coelurosaurs—as well as a series of smaller bones of these extinct animals. In the 1980s, the well-known Russian paleontologist Lev Nesov found remains of mammals from the Cretaceous period in Kansai.
Scientists plan to continue excavations in May next year, intending to explore new sites in Kansai. As a result of the extraction of raw materials for cement production in the area, new canyons have emerged, which represent promising areas for further paleontological research.
Some of the found remains have been transferred to the Historical and Regional Museum of the Sughd Region. This institution's collection already includes the remains of a southern mammoth, discovered in 2013, also in Tajikistan.
Umied Nabiev stands out as the only individual in Tajikistan currently pursuing paleontology, reflecting the limited availability of experts in this field. He shared that his university began collaborating with Russian scientists last year, who showed an interest in teaching paleontology. This collaboration allowed him to study at the Institute of Zoology and Parasitology of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, and to date, he remains the sole student to choose this specialty.
His mentor is Dmitry Gimranov, a candidate of biological sciences and an employee of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who also participated in the recent expedition in Kansai.
