New Species of Dinosaur Found Fossilized Near South Pole

WASHINGTON — Fossilized remains found within 400 miles of the South Pole belong to a new genus of dinosaur whose most distinctive feature is a bony crest rising above its brow, paleontologists said Thursday.

The dinosaur, officially named Cryolophosaurus ellioti, or “frozen crested reptile,” most closely resembles the allosaurus dinosaur common to North America, a two-legged creature similar to the tyrannosaurs featured in the popular movie “Jurassic Park.”

“You take the allosaurus, make it a little smaller and put a crest on it and there you have it,” said William Hammer, a paleontologist at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.

The dinosaur, about 30 feet long, represents both a new genus and a new species that roamed Antarctica in the Jurassic period some 200 million years ago, he said.

The large, curved crest was grooved, at least 10 inches high, and somewhat resembled an ornamental hair comb.

Flanked by two small horns, the comb probably was not strong enough to use as a weapon, but rather served much like a peacock’s tail, as a way to attract the opposite sex.

Hammer said the fossils give additional credence to the continental drift theory, which holds that Antarctica, Australia, Africa, and parts of South America were once part of a single land mass referred to as Gondwanaland that later broke apart.