New species of armored dinosaurs discovered in Utah, named "thorny head"



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A new species of armored dinosaur discovered in Utah was named Akainacephalus johnsoni, with his forename meaning "thorny head". The ankylosaurid further confirms that there were at least two immigration events that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous. (19459013) Utah YouTube Natural History Museum )

A new species of armored dinosaur was discovered by paleontologists from Utah, and they have it called "spiny head" because of spikes and cones on his head and muzzle

The 76 million-year-old armed dinosaur fossil, which once lived on the lost continent of Laramidia, is now on display at the Museum National History of Utah in Salt Lake City

Meet 'Thorny Head: The Akainacephalus Johnsoni

The New Armored Dinosaur, an Ankylosaurid, Was Discovered in Training Kaiparowits of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, located in Kane County, in southern Utah. He was named Akainacephalus johnsoni, with his name meaning "thorny head" and his second name honoring Randy Johnson, a museum volunteer who helped prepare the dinosaur skull.

In the fossil excavations, paleontologists from the University of Utah and the Utah Natural History Museum were able to retrieve a very well preserved skull from the armored dinosaur, with bone-shaped armor shaped plates and rings, several vertebrae, limb bones and an almost complete tail with the iconic ankylosaurus. The club was still connected to this one.

The Akainacephalus johnsoni was 13 feet to 16 feet long and about 3.5 feet tall. Like the other ankylosaurids, it was built for defense, which allowed it to survive the late Cretaceous predators such as the Tyrannosaurus rex

Two Ankylosaurids in North America

The Ankylosaurid dinosaurs are known to their body armor. and tail clubs, and their fossils have been found in North America before. However, ankylosaurids associated with North America have smooth bone armor on their skulls, but Akainacephalus johnsoni had bone armor on the skull and muzzle, resembling the Asian ankylosaurids that lived there 125 millions of years.

The discovery of Akainacephalus johnsoni led to the conclusion that there were at least two immigration events that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous.

When the sea level reached some of the highest levels in the history of the Earth, the North American continent was essentially divided in two. The west was known as Laramidia, while the east was known as Appalachia. However, sea levels have dropped briefly a few times, allowing dinosaurs, including Asian ankylosaurids, to cross the Bering land bridge to North America

"It is extremely fascinating and important for the Paleontological science can read as much fossil information, allowing us to better understand the extinct organisms and ecosystems they were part of, "said Jelle Wiersma, lead author of the study on Akainacephalus johnsoni.

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