Dinosaur fossils might be new species

Edmonton, Alberta -- Canadian researchers say a partial dinosaur skeleton unearthed in 1971 from a remote British Columbia site might represent a new species.

Discovered by a geologist in the Sustut Basin of north-central British Columbia 37 years ago, the bones -- about 70 million years old -- were donated to Dalhousie University in 2004 and assigned to then-undergraduate student Victoria Arbour to research as an honors project.

Arbour, now a University of Alberta researcher, said the fossils are the most complete dinosaur specimen ever found in British Columbia.

"There are similarities with two other kinds of dinosaurs, although there's also an arm bone we've never seen before," said Arbour. "The Sustut dinosaur may be a new species, but we won't know for sure until more fossils can be found."

The fossils are currently in the collection of the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria.

Arbour's findings appeared in a recent issue of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.