Scientists from the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, and the Kemerovo Regional Museum of Local Lore have described a new species and genus of ceratosaurs. This dinosaur was named Kiyakursor (from Latin "runner from the Kiya river") and became the first ceratosaur found in Cretaceous deposits in Asia, whereas it was previously believed that they had become extinct in this region 40 million years earlier. The research results were published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Ceratosaurus (horned lizards) are a group of early-diverging carnivorous dinosaurs (theropods), representing the first evolutionarily successful group of predatory dinosaurs. Paleontologists note that this was possible due to their great diversity: ceratosaurs ranged from small (1-15 meters in length) to very large (10-11 meters). In the course of evolution, ceratosaurs underwent limb reduction. Thus, even large dinosaurs of this group had very small forelimbs, while their musculature was well-developed. Ceratosaurs were widely distributed in the Jurassic (145-200 million years ago) and Cretaceous (66-145 million years ago) periods, with their remains found on almost all continents. In the Cretaceous period, ceratosaurs mainly inhabited the southern continents, and it was believed that they had become extinct in Asia by the end of the Jurassic period. The discovery by Russian paleontologists was the first evidence of Cretaceous ceratosaurs in Asia. "We described a new genus and species of dinosaur based on a fragment of a single animal's skeleton, including cervical vertebrae, humerus, and an element of the forelimb girdle, as well as the hindlimb bones in anatomical articulation. This fragmentary skeleton was found on the bank of the Kiya river at the Shestakovo site, dated to the Early Cretaceous," said Pavel Skuchas, acting head of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St. Petersburg State University. Remarkably, the scientists did not extract the found bones from the rock; instead, they conducted a CT scan at the I.A. Kolpinsky Clinical Consulting and Diagnostic Center in Kemerovo. Histological analysis of the bone tissue showed that the skeleton belonged to a young, still-growing animal. The new genus belongs to the noasaurids – small, graceful, and fast-running ceratosaurs. Paleontologists at St. Petersburg University confirmed that the new ceratosaur was also a fast runner. Like other "runners," it had elongated sections of the hind limbs. Thus, scientists compare its leg to that of an ostrich – a modern fast-running predatory dinosaur. Given the new ceratosaur's ability to run fast, it was named Kiyakursor – "runner from the Kiya river." The species name of Kiyakursor is longipes, meaning long-legged. The remains were found in the so-called Great Siberian Refuge – a vast area of Siberia where, in the Early Cretaceous, forms typical of the Jurassic period continued to exist. It can be said that this was a "Jurassic Park" in the Cretaceous time: Jurassic relics that had died out in many other places survived in this refuge park. Scientists from St. Petersburg State University are among the leading paleontologists not only in Russia but also in the world. Previously, university researchers discovered the remains of the northernmost non-kaurid salamander in the Teete site in Yakutia, confirmed that the climate in Chukotka was milder in ancient times than today, and made many other discoveries. Moreover, a popular science exhibition "Dinosaurs on the Map of Russia" has opened at St. Petersburg State University, showcasing the results of numerous paleontological finds by the university's scientists.