Heron-like, fish-eating dinosaur from 70 million years ago discovered in Argentina

Key Points:

• A new raptor-like dinosaur species named Kank australis, dating back around 70 million years, was discovered in southern Patagonia, identified from fossilized teeth, vertebrae, and toe bones.
• Kank australis belonged to the unenlagiid family, small-to-medium sized theropods related to Velociraptor, and likely grew to 2.5–3 meters in length; it lived in a temperate, humid environment with rivers, streams, and seasonal ponds.
• Unlike typical terrestrial raptors, Kank australis exhibited adaptations for fishing, such as specialized neck vertebrae similar to modern herons, and was likely a piscivore, supported by its fossil association with fish remains.
• The discovery fills a geographic and evolutionary gap in unenlagiids, linking northern Patagonia and Antarctica records, and highlights a diverse Late Cretaceous ecosystem that included larger predators like the megaraptorid Maip macrothorax.
• Named after a Patagonian indigenous myth and the Southern Cross constellation, Kank australis' ongoing research aims to uncover more fossils to better understand its biology and ecological role within Late Cretaceous South America.