`Missing link` bolsters bold theory on dino evolution
(Artdaily.org)

An oddball, vegetarian dinosaur with the silhouette of a flesh-ripping velociraptor, whose fossilised remains were unearthed in southern Chile 13 years ago, is a missing link in dino evolution, researchers said Wednesday. A revised assessment of the kangaroo-sized Chilesaurus, reported in the journal Biology Letters, bolsters a theory unveiled earlier this year that threatens to upend a long-standing classification of all dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were the monarchs of Earth for 160 million years until a space rock collided with the planet 65.5 million years ago and wiped out those confined to land. The survivors, which could fly, are the direct ancestor of today`s birds. `Chilesaurus genuinely helps fill an evolutionary gap between two big dinosaur groups,` said co-author Paul Barrett, president