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Libyan Man Finds Skeleton of Small Dinosaur in Desert

An undated handout picture released by the National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) showing paleontologists working in the excavation of a dinosaur tail in Coahuila State. (AFP)
An undated handout picture released by the National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) showing paleontologists working in the excavation of a dinosaur tail in Coahuila State. (AFP)
    Tripoli, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Libyan Man Finds Skeleton of Small Dinosaur in Desert

An undated handout picture released by the National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) showing paleontologists working in the excavation of a dinosaur tail in Coahuila State. (AFP)
An undated handout picture released by the National Institute of History and Anthropology (INAH) showing paleontologists working in the excavation of a dinosaur tail in Coahuila State. (AFP)

A Libyan man found the remains of a semi-complete skeleton that belongs to a small dinosaur in the Libyan Desert.

According to the Libyan News Agency, the skeleton is the size of a palm, and some of its limbs have been damaged, but its general structure is still intact, with a strong head and visible jaws. The skeleton’s overall size is no larger than 15 centimeters.

The man said the skeleton was visible thanks to erosion factors. The size of the head drew his attention the most, so he picked up the skeleton, which turned out to be similar to large dinosaurs in terms of shape, having large teeth and a strong jaw despite its small size.

He said he contacted paleontologists, who believed the small creature belonged to a species called "Congo Navon Kelly," which lived before dinosaurs and flying Pterosaurs. Some members of this species were only 10 centimeters long, according to the German news agency (dpa).

Photos of the skeleton show that the little dinosaur was adult at the time of death based on the growth rings in his bones.

The citizen behind the find usually keeps dinosaurs remains as evidence on the different historic eras in Libya, and has long been interested in learning and reading more about them. He said he is ready to hand the skeleton he found to any scientific institution or university that might be interested in studying it.

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Greek Firefighters Make Progress against Wildfires

Local residents and firefighters stand along a road during efforts to extinguish a wildfire near the city of Patras, western Greece on August 13, 2025. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)
Local residents and firefighters stand along a road during efforts to extinguish a wildfire near the city of Patras, western Greece on August 13, 2025. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)
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Greek Firefighters Make Progress against Wildfires

Local residents and firefighters stand along a road during efforts to extinguish a wildfire near the city of Patras, western Greece on August 13, 2025. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)
Local residents and firefighters stand along a road during efforts to extinguish a wildfire near the city of Patras, western Greece on August 13, 2025. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

Firefighters in Greece gained ground Thursday against a wildfire outside the third-largest city of Patras, while water bombers battled blazes on three other fronts.

The situation in the country's main port to Italy was much improved after an overnight struggle, fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said in a televised address.

Firefighters in Patras were facing "scattered" pockets of flames but the fire was "still active" in the eastern outskirts of the city of over 200,000, he said.

Citing data from the EU's Copernicus satellite monitoring program, the Athens national observatory on Thursday said ongoing fires in the Patras area, the Aegean island of Chios, the Ionian island of Zakynthos and near the western city of Preveza had burned over 10,000 hectares, reported AFP.

Police said they had arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of starting one of four fires that erupted near Patras on Tuesday.

Officials on Wednesday had evacuated a children's hospital and a retirement home as the fire had moved dangerously close to the western Greek city.

As the fire swept through the Patras outskirts late Tuesday, it gutted a customs tow yard, destroying over 500 vehicles inside.

Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos, a forestry professor at Thessaloniki's Aristotle University, said forest fires in Greece were now regularly affecting urban areas.

"We have seen it in (the greater Athens area) since 2021, now in Patras," he told state TV ERT.

Other important fires continued to burn Thursday on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, the Aegean island of Chios and near the western city of Preveza, the spokesman said.

Some 600 ground crews and nearly 30 water bombing aircraft were deployed from dawn in all locations.

Reduced wind intensity was aiding firefighting efforts.

Greece this summer has faced several major forest fires amid high temperatures which scientists say human-induced climate change is intensifying.