Dinosaur bone found in 1999 on Fukushima coast identified as 3-metre iguanodontian

Photo credit: Jstage.jst.go.jpA small dinosaur bone discovered in Fukushima, Japan, more than two decades ago has given scientists a new glimpse into the diversity of ancient life along East Asia’s coast.The fossil, found in 1999 and left largely unexamined for years, has now been identified as part of the breastbone of a plant-eating dinosaur known as an iguanodontian. Based on comparisons with related animals, researchers estimate that the dinosaur was approximately 3 metres long; much smaller than other iguanodontian fossils previously found in the same geological formation.The finding suggests that dinosaurs of different sizes lived in the coastal environments of what is now Fukushima during the Late Cretaceous, around 90 to 88 million years ago. The study titled 'An iguanodontian ster