An unusual spiked fossil found at the Boulakhfa site in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco has been identified.
Ankylosaurs were herbivorous dinosaurs known for their armored, tank-like bodies and club-shaped tail.
Ankylosaurus bone. Credit: Museum of Natural History.
Paleontologist Suzanne Maidment, researcher fromThe Natural History Museum said that existing ankylosaur fossils date back to the Cretaceous period (145.5 and 65.5 million years ago). However, the new bone is about 165 million years old, which means it belongs to the Jurassic era. This discrepancy surprised scientists.
Dr. Suzanne Madement at the Natural History Museum (Natural History Museum / Pennsylvania)
“Ankylosaurus are well known from the Cretaceous,especially individuals from North America and Asia, but the fossil is completely different from anything we've seen. This is a new species of ankylosaurus, much older than any other individual. And he also has a very, very strange morphology, - emphasizes the paleontologist. “This fossil is about 165 million years old and is from the Middle Jurassic. We do not have any evidence for the existence of ankylosaurs during this time period. "
Ankylosaurs are characterized by a series of bonyplates and spines embedded in the skin. However, the new fossil - the first from the African continent - is distinguished by long spines directly attached to the bone. Scientists called this morphology, at least, strange.
“We have not observed anything like this in any other vertebrae known to us, living or dead,” concludes paleontologist Suzanne Maidment.
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