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Scientists discover the oldest stegosaur species that lived 168 million years ago in the Moroccan mountains
- Stegosaurs are known for their iconic protruding bone plates along their spine
- A new species has been identified after the discovery of fossils in Morocco
- Although the remains belong to a species belonging to a whole new genus
- The analysis of her remains shows that she lived about 168 million years ago, much earlier than expected
Scientists have discovered a brand new species of iconic Stegasaur, perhaps the oldest ever found.
Stegosaurs are among the most famous dinosaurs ever to have traveled the Earth with their iconic bone plates protruding from their spines and tails.
And a team from the Natural History Museum has discovered the animal nicknamed Adratiklit boulahfa, which means "mountain lizard" in Berber language, in the Moroccan mountains.
It probably traveled the Earth 168 million years ago, much earlier than other known stegosaurs, and there is only a handful of fossilized bones left.
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Despite the specimen comprising only a few vertebrae and an arm bone (photo), the scientists concluded that it was a new species of stegosaurus.
Despite the specimen comprising only a few vertebrae and an arm bone, the scientists concluded that it was a new species and a new genus dating back to the Middle Jurassic.
The team, led by Dr. Susannah Maidment, named it Adratiklit Boulahfa as a reference to the locality located in the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco, where the specimen was found.
"The discovery of the Boulahfa Adratiklit is particularly interesting, because we date it from the Middle Jurassic," said Dr. Maidment.
"Most known stegosaurs date much later in the Jurassic period, making it the oldest definitive stegosaur described and helping to enhance our understanding of the evolution of this group of dinosaurs."
The specimen is the first stegosaurus, a thyrophore dinosaur, found in North Africa.
The team explained that thyrophorous dinosaurs are widespread in most parts of the globe and are mainly attributed to Laurasian rock formations.
This suggests that when the Earth was split into two supercontinents, Laurasia and Gondwana, thyrophores were more common and diverse at Laurasia. But the recent discovery could challenge that.
In the photo, a complete stegosaurus fossil exhibited at the Natural History Museum. Researchers have named the new species Adratiklit boulahfa, which means "mountain lizard" in Berber language
Dr. Maidment added, "Most of the stegosaurs we know, including Sophie from the Natural History Museum, the most complete stegosaur that has been discovered, have been discovered in Laurasian rock formations.
"This does not mean, however, that stegosaurs were not so common in Gondwana, but perhaps in reality because Gondwana's rock formations have been much less excavated and excavated. 39, detailed studies. "
The team said the discovery adds to the theory that Gondwana's fossil record of armored dinosaurs is heavily biased by geological factors and collection efforts.
Dr. Maidment said: "What's exciting about this is that there could be a lot more Thyrophoric Dinosaurs to find in places that have not been updated yet. . "
Other discoveries in the area will help better understand the distribution of this group of dinosaurs and could give a more complete specimen of Adratiklit boulahfa, said the team.
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