Duckbill dinosaurs evolved in North America, spreading to South America, Asia, Europe, and finally Africa. Credit: Raul Martin
The first fossils of duckbild dinosaurs have been found in Africa, indicating that dinosaurs will reach hundreds of kilometers of open water there.
Study published in Cretaceous Research, new dinosaur report, Stranger Odysseus, From the rocks of Morocco to the end of the Cretaceous ret 66 million years ago. Strangers Duckbills were various members of dinosaurs, various plant-eating dinosaurs that were grown up to 15 meters long. But the new dinosaur was smaller than its relatives – only 3 meters long, it was as big as a species.
Duckbills developed in North America and eventually spread to South America, Asia and Europe. Africa was an island continent in the late Cretaceous, separated from the deep coastline, making it impossible for duckbills to get there.
Dr Nicholas Longrich of the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath, who led the study, said the discovery of the new fossil in a few hours’ mine from Casablanca was “about the last thing in the world you’d expect.” . Dr. Longrish said: “It was completely out of place, like finding a kangaroo in Scotland. Africa was completely separated from the water – so how did they get there? ”
A silhouette showing the size of a stranger compared to humans and Moroccan contemporary mastechristian dinosaur fauna. Credit: Dnick Longrich
The study of StrangersDistinctive teeth and jaw bones show that it is associated with lambiosaurini, a subfamily of duckbills with extended cresting of bones. Lambiosors developed in North America before spreading to Asia and Europe, but have never been found in Africa before.
While reconstructing the Duckbill Evolution, they saw lambiosors develop in North America, then spread over land bridges to Asia. From there, they colonized Europe and eventually Africa.
Because Africa at the time was isolated from the deep oceans, the duckbills must have crossed hundreds of kilometers of open water-rafting on debris, floating or floating-on debris to colonize the continent. Duckbills were probably powerful swimmers – they had big tails and powerful legs, and they are often found in river basins and marine cliffs, so they could easily swim distances.
“Once you get rid of the impossible, no matter how impossible, it must be true,” Sherlock Holmes said. “It was impossible to go to Africa. These dinosaurs evolved long after the continents split, and we have no evidence of land bridges. Geology tells us that Africa was different from the oceans. If so, the only way to get there is by water. ”
In reference to this feat, the name of the dinosaur “Stranger Odysseus.“Stranger” means “foreign”, and Arabic for Odysseus is located on the Greek coast.
A map showing the location of duckbill dinosaurs during the late Cretaceous period. Credit: Dr. Nick Longrich
Ocean crossings are rare, unlikely events, but have occurred in historic times. In one case, the people of green Iguana traveled between the Caribbean islands during a hurricane on debris. In another, a Seychelles tortoise swam hundreds of kilometers in the Indian Ocean to wash in Africa.
“Over the course of millions of years,” Longris said, “the events of a century are likely to happen many times over. Ocean crossings are needed to explain how lemurs and hippos reached Madagascar, or how monkeys and rats crossed from Africa to South America. “
But the fact that duckbills and other dinosaur groups spread across continents, despite the high sea level, suggests that dinosaurs also traveled in the oceans. “As far as I know, we are the first person to suggest a sea crossing for dinosaurs,” Longrich said.
The international team of scientists was led by the Basque Country UVP / EHU (Spain) of the University of Basque, Georges and Natural Washington University (USA) and the Museum of Natural History of the Sorbonne University (France) / University Kadi de Ayyad (University). Morocco).
Dr. of the Museum of Natural History, Sorbonne University (France). Knorr-Eddin Jalil said, “The excitement of impossible events (crossing the ocean by a dinosaur, the remains of terrestrial animals in a marine environment) highlights the rarity of our discovery. And hence its importance.
“Strangers Showing us that hydrosources have set foot on African land, it tells us that maritime barriers are not always indefinite barriers. “
References: “The first duckbill dinosaurs from Africa (Hydrosauride: Lambeosaurini) and the role of marine dispersal in dinosaur ecosystems” Alexander Piran and Knorr-Eddin Jalil, November 2, 2020. Cretaceous Research.
DOI: 10.1016 / j.cretres.2020.104678
