A brand new genus and species of dwarf lambeosaurine hadrosaurid has come to gentle in Moroccan rocks relationship to the Late Cretaceous epoch, some 68 million years in the past.
Late Maastrichtian dinosaurs of the newest Cretaceous Phosphates of Morocco. Picture credit score: Longrich et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9.
“Duckbill dinosaurs, or hadrosaurids, have been extremely profitable herbivores that staged a significant radiation within the Late Cretaceous epoch,” mentioned College of Tub paleontologist Nicholas Longrich and his colleagues.
“Hadrosaurids developed in North America within the Turonian age (94-90 million years in the past), earlier than dispersing into Asia and Europe.”
“The presence of a hadrosaurid in Africa is perplexing, as a result of Africa had been remoted from Laurasia by deep seaways for the reason that mid-Jurassic, whereas hadrosaurids developed within the Late Cretaceous.”
“The decision to the paradox seems to be that duckbills swam or rafted to Africa.”
The newly-described hadrosaurid species lived in Africa throughout the Late Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch, round 68 million years in the past.
Named Minqaria bata, the dinosaur was comparatively small, roughly 3.5 m (11.5 toes) lengthy.
The species comes from the phosphate mines at Sidi Chennane, Morocco, the identical locality that produced the lambeosaurine hadrosaurid Ajnabia odysseus, and relies on a partial cranium.
It belongs to Arenysaurini, a clade of lambeosaurine hadrosaurids endemic to Europe and North Africa.
“Minqaria bata is distinguished from Ajnabia odysseus by the form of the maxilla, which has a extra ventrally positioned jugal side, a curved ectopterygoid ridge, a extra sinusoidal toothrow, and neurovascular foramina organized in a line,” the paleontologists mentioned.
“Nonetheless, the brand new species carefully resembles Ajnabia odysseus and different arenysaurins in its small dimension, and plenty of anatomical options.”
Cranium parts of Minqaria bata. Scale bar – 5 cm. Picture credit score: Longrich et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9.
The researchers additionally unearthed the fossilized stays of two different hadrosaurids at Sidi Daoui and Mrah Lahrach websites.
“A humerus and a femur belong to bigger hadrosaurids, 6 m (20 toes) lengthy, implying at the very least three species coexisted,” they mentioned.
The workforce’s evaluation suggests the hadrosaurid group Lambeosaurinae initially diversified in Asia, then noticed dispersals into North America.
Dispersal from Asia into Europe was adopted by dispersal into North Africa. A number of dispersals from Europe to Africa appear much less parsimonious than a single dispersal, however will not be unattainable, notably given the distinctive morphologies of Ajnabia odysseus and Minqaria bata.
“The range of hadrosaurids in Europe and Africa suggests a dispersal-driven radiation, with lambeosaurines diversifying to reap the benefits of low ornithischian range,” the scientists mentioned.
“African lambeosaurines are small in comparison with North American and Asia hadrosaurids nevertheless, maybe as a result of competitors with titanosaurians.”
“Hadrosaurids are unknown from japanese Africa, suggesting Moroccan hadrosaurids could also be a part of a definite insular fauna, and characterize an island radiation.”
The findings seem within the journal Scientific Reviews.
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N.R. Longrich et al. 2024. A brand new small duckbilled dinosaur (Hadrosauridae: Lambeosaurinae) from Morocco and dinosaur range within the Late Maastrichtian of North Africa. Sci Rep 14, 3665; doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9
