The ‘ Spicomellus afer’ , as they have named the new species of ankylosaur, inhabited the current African continent between 167-163 million years ago and is a unique species. After analyzing a fossil necklace of bone spikes discovered in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco (at the same site where researchers at the Natural History Museum in London previously discovered the oldest stegosaurus ever found), scientists realized they were facing a specimen previously unknown to science.
Furthermore, it was “unlike anything else found in the animal kingdom,” say the authors, who publish their discovery in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
One of the first ankylosaurs to roam the Earth
Ankylosaurs were a diverse group of armored dinosaurs related to stegosaurs, which were present throughout the Cretaceous period from 145 to 66 million years ago, but there is very little evidence for them and this new fossil, which dates back to 168 million years ago. years, from the middle Jurassic, makes it the first example of the oldest group ever discovered.
The fossil necklace features a series of spikes that fused with the creature’s rib, something very unusual for an ankylosaurus, as it would normally be attached to skin tissue and not attached to the skeleton. It is fused with the ribs.
The discovery was so unusual that scientists wondered if the fossil might be a fake, but further inspection with a CT scanner found no signs that it had been constructed or altered. It was authentic.
“Ankylosaurs had armored spikes that are generally embedded in the skin and not fused with the bones . In this specimen we see a series of barbs attached to the rib, which must have protruded above the skin covered by a layer of something similar to keratin, ”explains Susannah Maidment, a museum researcher and leader of the work.
This finding helps fill important gaps in our knowledge of dinosaur history and suggests that ankylosaurs had a global distribution and did not live in a specific area. It is the first ankylosaur found in Africa.
Once the coronavirus pandemic completely leaves us, the researchers plan to return to Morocco to see if there are other pieces of the ankylosaur that can help shed light on its unusual physiology. Let us remember that the geography of the world during the Jurassic was very different from today. The continents were divided into two large separate landmasses. In the northern hemisphere, the land formed a supercontinent known as Laurasia, while in the south the land formed the gigantic Gondwana . Both continents were separated by open water, limiting the ability of animals and plants to cross from one land mass to another.
Referencia: “Bizarre dermal armour suggests the first African ankylosaur” by Susannah C. R. Maidment, Sarah J. Strachan, Driss Ouarhache, Torsten M. Scheyer, Emily E. Brown, Vincent Fernandez, Zerina Johanson, Thomas J. Raven and Paul M. Barrett, 23 September 2021, Nature Ecology & Evolution.
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01553-6
