Paleontologists from North Carolina State University and Utah Brigham Young University discovered a new species of hadrosaur , which they have named Rhinorex condrupus , in a warehouse at the Brigham Young Museum.
This creature lived in the area that today corresponds to the state of Utah about 75 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period . Rhinorex, which roughly translates to ” King of the nose,” was a herbivore and a close relative of other Cretaceous hadrosaurs such as Parasaurolophus and Edmontosaurus.
Hadrosaurs are typically identified by their bony ridges extending from the skull, although Edmontosaurus does not have such a hard, but fleshy ridge. Rhinorex also lacks a ridge on the top of its head, but instead has a disproportionate nose. Terry Gates of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and his colleague Rodney Sheetz of the Brigham Young Museum of Paleontology discovered the fossil in Brigham’s warehouse.
It had been found in the 1990s at the Neslen site , and initially studied for its well-preserved skin. But when Gates and Sheetz rebuilt the skull , they realized they were looking at a new species.
“The skull was almost complete, which helped a lot, but being able to study and reconstruct it was very difficult. It took us two years to unearth the fossil from the sandstone in which it was embedded: it was like pulling a dinosaur skull out of a layer of concrete.” says Gates. Based on the recovered bones, the scientist estimates that Rhinorex was about 10 meters long and weighed more than 3,800 kilos. He lived in a swampy estuary environment, about 50 kilometers from the coast. Rhinorex is the only complete hadrosaur fossil found from the Neslen site, and contributes to filling in some gaps in habitat segregation during the Upper Cretaceous.
“We have found other hadrosaurs from the same period, but located about 200 kilometers further south, so they had to adapt to a different environment,” says Gates. ” This find gives us a geographical view of the Cretaceous , and helps to place contemporary species in their correct time and place. Rhinorex is also key to further completing the hadrosaur family tree.”
Regarding the possible advantages of having a large nose Gates believes that ” the purpose of such a large nose is a mystery. If this dinosaur resembles its relatives, its sense of smell was not particularly developed ; perhaps the nose was used as a a means of attracting mates, to recognize members of its species or even as a great beak to grind plants. “
Photo: NC State University
