Paleontologists have managed to identify the size of a once fearsome dinosaur – Abelisaurs – thanks to a once forgotten, the unidentified and partially preserved femur (fossilized bone) from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco that was lying in a cupboard of a museum.

Researchers stated that Abelisaurs (Abelisauridae) lived on the Earth around 95 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period. Now, the latest finding suggests that this-kind of dinosaur believed to have been a 30ft long, i.e., 9 metres  – longer than a double-decker bus. Researchers classified these Abelisaurs as a group of meat-eating dinosaurs, which had small and sharper teeth, very small forelimbs, a short deep face and powerful muscular hind limbs.

The fossilized bone found in Kem Kem beds in Morocco
This was rediscovered after being left unidentified in a museum drawer
Dinosaur was weighing around two tonnes and it was 30ft long (9 meters)
They were probably covered in feathers with tiny, useless forelimbs
As previously discovered, these kind of dinosaur haven’t lived alongside other predators

According to a paper in the journal Peer J, these ancient predators were also suspected to be covered in fluffy feathers. Abelisaur believed to be living in the Cretaceous period, around 95m years ago in the north African region. This region was a lush green savannah with many rivers and mangrove which grows in tidal, chiefly tropical, coastal swamps.

Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza from Imperial College London and Andrea Cau from the University of Bologna’s Geological and Paleontological Museum, said in the press release:

“This ancient tropical world would have provided the abelisaur with an ideal habitat for hunting aquatic animals like turtles, crocodiles, large fish and other dinosaurs. Smaller abelisaur fossils have been previously found by palaeontologists, but this find shows how truly huge these flesh eating predators had become.  Their appearance may have looked a bit odd as they were probably covered in feathers with tiny, useless forelimbs, but make no mistake they were fearsome killers in their time”

By studying the fossilized dinosaur bone from Morocco, the paleontologists deduced that this abelisaur may have been 29.5 feet (9 m) long and weighed about 2,000 kg.

“Fossilized femora are useful for paleontologists to study because they can determine the overall size of a dinosaur,” the scientists explained.

“This is because femora are attached to the thigh and tail muscles and have scars, or bumps, which tell scientists where the ligaments and muscles were attached to the bone and how big those muscles and ligaments would have been.”

“Their appearance may have looked a bit odd as they were probably covered in feathers with tiny, useless forelimbs, but make no mistake they were fearsome killers in their time.”