Paleontologists have discovered a new species of dinosaur in Argentina, and it has a large skull and small arms like a Tyrannosaurus rex.
The meat-eating species, Meraxes gigas, was detailed in a study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology.
The dinosaur belongs to the Carcharodontosaurid group, which is about 36 feet long and weighs more than four tons, according to a press release.
The species was named after a dragon in the novels “A Song of Ice and Fire” which inspired the HBO series “Game of Thrones.”
Although Gera Meraxes may have short arms like the T. rex, the head of the study project, Juan Canale, of the Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum in Argentina, said there is no direct relationship between the two.
Gigera mirages became extinct about 20 million years before the time of T. rex, he said.
He argued that the arms of the new species “had some kind of function.”
Scientists have found that the larger the head of a dinosaur, the smaller its arms would be, according to the press release.
“I tend to think his arms were used in other types of activities,” Canale said. “He may have used his arms for reproductive behavior, such as holding the female during mating or leaning to stand up after a pause or fall.”
Arms aside, Canale added that the skull’s features were “probably used” to attract other dinosaurs.
“Sexual selection is a powerful evolutionary force,” Canale said. “But since we can’t directly observe their behavior, it’s impossible to be sure of that.”