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A new genus and species of furileusaurian abelisaurid dinosaur (stiff-backed lizard) named Llukalkan aliocranianus was discovered by a team of paleontologists from Argentina.
Reconstruction of the life of Llukalkan aliocranianus. Image credit: Jorge Blanco.
Llukalkan aliocranianus roamed our planet during the Late Cretaceous period, around 80 million years ago.
The dinosaur was part of the Abelisauridae, a family of known large predators from the ancient supercontinent Gondwana.
It was about 5m (16.4ft) in length and had an extremely powerful bite, very sharp teeth, huge claws, and a keen sense of smell.
He also had a strange short skull with rough bones, so in life his head had bulges and prominences like some living reptiles.
“But the most distinctive feature of Llukalkan aliocranianus is a small, air-filled posterior sinus in the middle ear area that has not been seen in any other abelisaurid found so far, ”said Dr. Ariel Mendez, paleontologist at the Institute of Geology and paleontology of Patagonia.
“This means that this dinosaur probably heard differently from other abelisaurids – probably better and similar to that of a modern crocodile.”
“This discovery involves a hearing adaptation different from other abelisaurids, and possibly a more acute sense of hearing.”
Reconstruction of the complete skull and mandible of Llukalkan aliocranianus, from the Upper Cretaceous of the province of Neuquén, Argentina, in left lateral view. Preserved bones are located in their supposed natural positions, while non-conserved parts and bones are gray. The prearticular bone has a medial location, covered laterally by the angular and the surangular. The maxilla, jugal and quadrate correspond to the right side, although they have been mirrored to fit the image. Scale bar – 5 cm. Image Credit: Gianechini et al., doi: 10.1080 / 02724634.2020.1877151.
The fossilized cranial remains of Llukalkan aliocranianus were recovered from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in the La Invernada fossil area in northwest Patagonia, Argentina.
According to the team, the former predator lived in the same small area and time period as Viavenator exxoni, another furileusaurian abelisaurid species from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation.
“This is a particularly important find because it suggests that the diversity and abundance of abelisaurids was remarkable, not only across Patagonia, but also in more local areas during the Dinosaur Twilight Period,” said Dr. Federico Gianechini, paleontologist at the National University of San Luis.
Llukalkan aliocranianus was similar in many ways to Viavenator exxoniexcept that it was smaller, the holes in the skull through which the veins pass were larger and more widely separated from the supraoccipital ridge, among other differences.
“This finding also suggests that there are probably more abelisaurids out there that we just haven’t found yet, so we’ll be looking for other new species and a better understanding of the relationship between furilesaurs,” he said. said Dr Gianechini.
The discovery of Llukalkan aliocranianus is reported in an article published this week in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Federico A. Gianechini et al. A new furileusaurian abelisaurid from La Invernada (Upper Cretaceous, Santonian, Bajo De La Carpa Formation), Northern Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, published online March 30, 2021; doi: 10.1080 / 02724634.2020.1877151
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