Scientists discover new dinosaur in Argentina complete with crocodile bone in mouth

The remains belong to a group of dinosaurs known as megaraptorans, which roamed present-day South America, Australia and parts of Asia before evolving into different species over millions of years.

The dinosaur was thought to be 23ft long and over 1,000kg in weight, reportedly living between 66 and 70 million years ago - close to the time when the reptiles went extinct.

Researchers said they uncovered part of a skull, alongside arm, leg and tail bones in the Lago Calhue Huapi rock formation in Patagonia.

Despite being incomplete, the remains “fill a major gap by providing one of the most complete skeletons yet,” according to Federico Agnolin from the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences.

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The discovery also included the front leg bone of a crocodile preserved in the dinosaurs mouth, offering insight into previously unknown “megaraptoran dietary preferences and feeding strategies”, according to Luco Ibiricu from the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Palaeontology.

Megaraptors were dominant predators during the Late Cretaceous period, known for their "huge and very powerful claws".

This particular dinosaur is thought to have been 19 years old at the time of its death, though the cause remaining unclear.

Ibiricu, who was part of the discovery team, named the species Joaquinraptor casali in memory of his son, Joaquin, and after the valley’s informal name.

He said: “All children love dinosaurs so he would probably be a fan too.”

The team published their findings in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.