12 Dinosaurs Discovered In The Last 10 Years

Australotitan cooperensis

When discovered, the towering Australotitan cooperensis became the largest dinosaur species ever discovered in Australia. It measured around 100 feet long and 21 feet tall — nearly double that of the T-Rex. Australotitan cooperensis also weighed in the ballpark of 25 to 80 tons.

Despite its first remains coming to excavators in 2005, paleontologists have only just connected the dots that confirmed what species this dinosaur is and how big it really was.

Ceratosuchops inferodios

Despite the excavation of its fossils almost three years ago now, little remains known about the predatory Ceratosuchops inferodios. The dinosaur’s name translates to “horned crocodile-faced hell heron.” Discovered on the Isle of Wight, this flying dinosaur probably had some fierce hunting tendencies. Experts cite the low horns and ornamental bumps on its head as an evolutionary development based on its hunting style.

Berthasaura leopoldinae

Termed as “very rare” when first discovered, the Berthasaura leopoldinae from Brazil walked the Earth over 70 million years ago. Berthasaura leopoldinae is on the smaller side of theropods, measuring about three feet long and two and a half feet tall from the hip. When discovered, it was one of the most complete Cretaceous-era dinosaur fossils ever found in Brazil.

Stegouros elengassen

Joining the ranks of armored dinosaurs is Stegouros elengassen, an incredible late Cretaceous discovery with a never-before-seen tail. Unlike other dinosaurs in its family or of the same period, Stegouros elengassen has a flat, frond-like structure with seven pairs of osteoderms that stick out on the latter half of the tail. The armored dinosaur was small — no more than two meters — but the discovery made waves in the scientific community. 

Kulindadromeus

A Jurassic period find for the ages, the Kulindadromeus dinosaur’s fossils were found in Russia and China. The discovery of this dinosaur — and particularly, its appearance — changed the way that scientists regarded the structures on dinosaur bodies. Once thought to only have one — scales or feathers — the Kulindadromeus discovery determined that a dinosaur may have both.

Vectipelta barretti

Also discovered on the Isle of Wight is Vectipelta barretti — an ankylosaurian dinosaur with blade-and-spikes armor. Scientists and excavators believe the dinosaur lived over 100 million years ago. Despite many of the ankylosaur remains found on the Isle of Wight belonging to the Polacanthus foxii, this new species threw past finds into confusion with its emergence on the scene. 

Chucarosaurus diripienda

As excavators continue to dig, they find bigger and bigger fossils. Unearthed in 2018, Chucarosaurus diripienda ranks as one of the largest dinosaurs found to date. Even the femur bone of the dinosaur proved unwieldy: it took a handful of people to move one of the three segments (which weighed at least 220 pounds each, respectively).

Bajadasaurus pronuspinax

Amelia Thompson, an accredited paleontologist with over twelve years of experience in the field has worked on numerous fascinating discoveries that have added so much to humans’ understanding of the rich prehistoric era. Her work has largely revolved around unearthing dinosaur fossils and identifying new species. In an interview with A-Z-Animals, she shared that one of the most exciting discoveries was Bajadasaurus pronuspinax. “Unveiled in 2019, this species, discovered in Argentina, was bizarre and fascinating, with long spiky neck spines along its back which we believe may have been used as a defense mechanism against predators.”

Silutitan sinensis

Named after the Mandarin word for “Silk Road” in China, the Silutitan sinensis was one of two groundbreaking discoveries excavators found in August 2021 when researching in the northwest regions of China. According to the involved researchers, Silutitan sinensis probably lived between 120 or 130 million years ago. It’s classified as a sauropod.

Yamatosaurus izanagii

The unique, duck-billed dinosaur Yamatosaurus izanagii took an international team of researchers to excavate and put together. Part of the specimen, found in 2004 by an amateur archeologist on Awaji Island, became the building block for the larger fossils unearthed in 2021. The discovery became greatly important to Japan because it ranked among the first fossils discovered in the archipelago nation from the late Cretaceous period.

Jakapil kaniukura

Put together from more than 100 various bone fragments found amid central Argentina, the Jakapil kaniukura caused scientists to pause as they tried to classify it and its bipedal nature. The dinosaur probably weighed no more than a standard house cat, despite its length of five feet. Although it held every traditional sauropod characteristic, Jakapil kaniukura had bony plates in its skin, demanding it be classified in the thyreophora category. 

Natovenator polydontus

Not every dinosaur discovery in the last 10 years brought big bones and armored tails. When excavators found Natovenator polydontus, they realized this avian dinosaur’s body was well-suited for the water — like a duck. After examining the fossils, experts believe the dino made its daily life around or in shallow water and fed on small fish.