Fossils discovered in a stratum dating to the late Cretaceous Period, or about 72 million years ago, on the Awajishima island in Hyogo Prefecture were found to be a new species of dinosaur, now named Yamatosaurus izanagii. (The Asahi Shimbun)
A new dinosaur species was discovered on Awajishima island in Hyogo Prefecture, the place where the nation of Japan was born according to myth.
A team led by Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, a professor of Hokkaido University, announced the finding in the British science journal Scientific Reports on April 27.
Shingo Kishimoto, a 72-year-old amateur fossil collector from Himeji city, also in Hyogo Prefecture, found the fossils of the new species, including teeth and neck bones, in a stratum dating to the late Cretaceous Period, or about 72 million years ago, in the city of Sumoto on the island in 2004.