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The name of the genus basically means "spike head", but the name of the species is in the honor of museum volunteer Randy Johnson, a retired chemist who helped prepare the skull .
"I never thought I would have the opportunity to work on fossils that might be important to paleontologists," Johnson said in a statement. "Now that I'm volunteering at a museum, I have the opportunity to work on a wide variety of fossils and consult the best paleontologists – it's like a second dream career, I could not not believe it when they even told me to name the ankylosaurus after me, a unique honor. "
Akainacephalus walked on all fours directly under his body and was considered medium sized, measuring between 13 and 16 feet long and 3 ½ feet tall.The characteristic bone armor covered him from head to toe. tail, including bone plates for protection, his skull was covered with spikes and horns
The fossil includes a complete skull, most of the vertebral column, anterior and posterior limbs, 39; armor-shaped neckline and spiked armor plates and a terminal club.It is the most complete skeleton of this type of armored dinosaur ever found in the southwestern United States. 19659005] It was found in the Kaiparowits formation of the monument, where rocks and mud were deposited by rivers and streams.
The fossil was discovered in 2008 during a paleontological expedition, with a dinosaur duckbill, a new species of turtle and a parent of alligators. The bones took almost four years to prepare.
A discovery study was published Thursday in PeerJ magazine in conjunction with the announcement of the exhibition.
Ankylosaurids were herbivores known for their intimidating bony tail sticks and body armor, and their fossils have already been found in North America. But this well-preserved fossil has revealed a surprising detail.
Ankylosaurid fossils associated with North America had a smooth bone armor on their skull. This one had a pronounced spiny bone armor covering the skull and muzzle, closely related to the Asian ankylosaurids that lived 125 million years ago.
"A reasonable hypothesis would be that Utah ankylosaurids are akin to those found elsewhere in western North America, we were really surprised to discover that Akainacephalus was so closely related to Asian species, "said Randall Irmis, co-author. from the study and curator of paleontology at the Utah Museum of Natural History, in a statement
have helped researchers determine that at least two immigration events occurred during the Cretaceous period late, resulting in two groups of ankylosaurid dinosaurs.
When sea level reaches one of the highest levels in the history of our planet, the Western Seaway divides the North American continent into two. The western and eastern parts of the continent have been isolated. To the west was Laramidia, and to the east was Appalachia. These would come together to form once again North America, which would make the two continents essentially lost continents.
Akainacephalus is said to have traveled the southern part of Laramidia, which formerly extended from the Arctic Circle to the Gulf of Mexico.
But the sea level has been lowered briefly several times, allowing dinosaurs and animals to go between Asia and the west of the United States. North across the Beringian land bridge. This also explains the fact that Asian Ankylosaurid dinosaurs move to North America.
"It is always exciting to name a new fossil taxon, but it is equally exciting if this taxon also provides additional insights into the life of this species." According to Jelle Wiersma, lead author of the study and PhD student in the Department of Geosciences of the James Cook University in Australia, in a statement.
Nearly all the dinosaur species discovered in the Grand Escalante-Escalante National Monument are new to science, including Akainacephalus.This part of Laramidia was incredibly diverse in plant and animal life between 75 million and 80 million years ago.The possible reasons for diversity of the region include sea level, differences in climate across the latitude or barriers like mountains and rivers.
" It is extremely fascinating and important for the science of paleontology that we can read so much information from the fossil record, allowing us to better understand the missing organisms and the ecosystems of which they were part, "Wiersma said. "A major long-term goal of our work in southern Utah is to try to understand why GSENM species differ from their geologically similar age relatives than those found in other parts of the world. from Laramidia. "
