Canadian scientists have found the first dinosaur, stricken with malignant cancer. The ancient animal was found in the reserve Dinosaur (Canada) in 1989, reports Reuters.
Centrosaur had a height of about six meters, massive jaw muscles and the horn, and apparently suffered from osteosarcoma limb. This type of cancer is malignant, it is common among humans and animals and treated with chemotherapy and surgery, and sometimes amputation of the limb. Experts revealed traces of a tumor the size of an Apple on one of the tibia of a dinosaur.
Due to the fact that tumors usually localized in the soft tissues, to consider in more detail the specific case is not possible. However, the limb was carefully examined with computed tomography and microscope, which allowed to unambiguously judge the presence of the tumor.
According to paleontologist David Evans (David Evans) from the Royal Ontario Museum (Canada), studied by scholars, centrosaur suffered from the disease until his death. Cancer is likely to have reduced the mobility of the animal, because of what he could become easy prey for the larger inhabitants of ancient Canada.
However, Evans is confident that the dinosaur died — directly or indirectly — not from cancer. First, life in the big herd was protecting animals from the attack of more aggressive daspletosaurus and gorgosaurus. Second, the animal’s body was found in a huge niche of natural origin near relatives: apparently, a herd of centrosaurus died during the flood.
Earlier, American scientists have found that the reason for the cooling, because of which the mammoths died out, was the eruption of volcanoes. After a series of eruptions in the air up slurry spray, which prevented penetration of sunlight. Previously it was thought that a similar effect was caused due to hitting Earth a large meteorite.
