A new species of predatory dinosaur discovered in a mountainous desert region near the city of Tashkumyr in western Kyrgyzstan has been named by palaeontologists following several excavation campaigns between 2006 and 2023.
Parts of the skull, including a peculiar 'eyebrow' feature, along with numerous other bones were unearthed at the site over the 17-year period.
The new species, which has been named Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, is type of theropod, a large group of animals that includes well-known dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus, as well as modern birds. Analysis suggests it would have been eight or nine metres in length – about the size of a male orca.
It's the first ever theropod dinosaur found in Kyrgyzstan, and "closes a huge gap in our knowledge of the Jurassic theropods," says Professor Oliver Rauhut, who led the follow-up study on Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, published in the Zoological Journal.
Theropods are one of the best-known groups of dinosaurs, once widespread across the planet. However, no large Jurassic predatory dinosaurs were previously known from the huge region between central Europe and East Asia.
But in 2006, Kyrgyz palaeontologist Aizek Bakirov changed all that when he discovered the first remains of Alpkarakush kyrgyzicu in the mountainous deserts of western Kyrgyzstan. The sediments of the Balabansai Formation exposed here were deposited during the Middle Jurassic period around 165 million years ago.
During several ensuing excavation campaigns between 2006 and 2023, skull bones, dorsal and pelvic vertebrae, fragments of the shoulder girdle and forelimbs, the almost complete pelvic girdle and hind limbs of the dinosaur were uncovered.
Analysis of the remains suggests that the Alpkarakush kyrgyzicu specimen was close to adulthood, at least 17 years old and already sexually mature.
The palaeontologists were particularly excited to find a protruding 'eyebrow' on the skull bone behind the eye opening, which indicates the presence of a horn. Other unique features were found on the dorsal vertebrae and the femur.
The remains of a second, smaller specimen of Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus, believed to be those of a juvenile, were also found at the site.
The new species is named after Alpkarakush, a giant, heroic bird from the Epic of Manas, a traditional poem of the Kyrgyz people of Central Asia. The species name kyrgyzicus refers to the Kyrgyz Republic, the origin of the new dinosaur.
Comparisons with numerous other theropods show that the new species belongs to a family of carnivorous theropods known as metriacanthosaurids. "Although the affiliation of Alpkarakush with the metriacanthosaurids is not necessarily a surprise, this discovery closes a huge gap in our knowledge of the Jurassic theropods," says Professor Rauhut.
"It leads us to important new insights into the evolution and biogeography of these animals."
The researchers say that in order to better understand Jurassic theropod diversity and evolution, more discoveries from areas between Europe and western China are needed.
Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus could become the first original dinosaur skeleton ever to be exhibited in Kyrgyzstan, with plans to present the bones and alongside a reconstruction in the National Historical Museum in Bishkek.
Find out more about the study: A new theropod dinosaur from the Callovian Balabansai Formation of Kyrgyzstan.
More amazing wildlife stories
