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Rabat – Palaeontologists from the UK's National Museum of History, in collaboration with their Moroccan counterparts, have discovered a new species of stegosaurian dinosaur.
It is not only the oldest stegosaur defined ever discovered, estimated at 168 million years, but it is also the first stegosaurus in North Africa. Previously, stegosaurs have been found in North America, Asia and Europe.
The species has been named Adratiklit Boulahfa, a tribute to Morocco. The name is derived from the Berber words for mountain (Adras) and lizard (tiklit). Boulahfa refers to the mountain where the specimen was found, in the Middle Atlas of Morocco.
The study was led by Dr. Susannah Maidment, a dinosaur specialist at the museum. "The discovery of A. boulahfa is particularly exciting because we have dated it from the Middle Jurassic," said Dr. Maidment in a statement from the museum.
"The most famous stegosaurus date from the late Jurassic period, making it the oldest definitive Stegosaurus described and helps to enhance our understanding of the evolution of this group of dinosaurs."
The historical discovery could eventually give rise to new revelations for paleontologists, as more dinosaur bones could be discovered.
"What's exciting about that, is that there could be many more armored dinosaurs to be found in places that have not yet been unearthed," added the Dr. Maidment.
Read also: The Ministry of Culture continues excavations on the site of Dar El Baroud in Sale
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