Alberta Bonehead Dinosaur Species Was Dog-Sized, Oldest Discovery of Kind
Canadian scientists have discovered a new species of boneheaded dinosaur that roamed the area that is modern-day southern Alberta 85 million years ago.
The species, named Acrotholus audeti, was a plant-eater roughly the size of a dog that sported a large, dome-shaped head. Scientists believe the dinosaur's skull, which was covered by a two-inch layer of bone, was used for display amongst fellow Acrotholus audeti and headbutting contests. The species was named partially for its skull—Acrotholus is derived from the Greek words for "high dome"—and after an Alberta rancher named Roy Audet, who owned the land where the newest specimen was discovered in 2008. The find helped conclusively label the animal as a new species and helps scientists fill in details to the incomplete fossil record for the period in which it lived.
"Acrotholus provides a wealth of new information on the evolution of bone-headed dinosaurs (pachycephalosaurs). Although it is one of the earliest known members this group, its thickened skull dome is surprisingly well-developed for its geological age," said lead author Dr. David Evans of the Royal Ontario Museum and University of Toronto, in a statement. "More importantly, the unique fossil record of these animals suggests that we are only beginning to understand the diversity of small-bodied plant-eating dinosaurs."
While the dinosaur's skull may be the center of attraction, scientists are most intrigued by the rest of the species' small body, which is more delicate.
"We can predict that many new small dinosaur species like Acrotholus are waiting to be discovered by researchers willing to sort through the many small bones that they pick up in the field," said co-author Michael Ryan in a news release.
Evans agreed with Ryan's assessment of the significance of the plant-eater's dog-sized body.
"The species representation of small animals is generally poorer than large animals because the bones of small ones are more susceptible to carnivores and weathering processes," he said. "The bones of small animals tend to get destroyed before they enter the fossil record."
The team believes the find also challenges the stereotype that dinosaurs were all massive creatures, and instead proves a diversity of creatures roamed the planet. The pachycephalosaurs, or the group of similarly boneheaded dinosaurs that Acrotholus audeti belongs to, has opened this door for the team.
"The only reason we know that pachycephalosaurs were so diverse is because of these domes which seem to be preferentially preserved in the fossil record," he said. "And so if other dinosaur groups are anything like pachycephalosaurs, they were probably a lot more diverse too. This has implications for how you reconstruct the diversity of particular dinosaur communities through time."
The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
source: Alberta Bonehead Dinosaur Species Was Dog-Sized, Oldest Discovery of Kind
Canadian scientists have discovered a new species of boneheaded dinosaur that roamed the area that is modern-day southern Alberta 85 million years ago.
The species, named Acrotholus audeti, was a plant-eater roughly the size of a dog that sported a large, dome-shaped head. Scientists believe the dinosaur's skull, which was covered by a two-inch layer of bone, was used for display amongst fellow Acrotholus audeti and headbutting contests. The species was named partially for its skull—Acrotholus is derived from the Greek words for "high dome"—and after an Alberta rancher named Roy Audet, who owned the land where the newest specimen was discovered in 2008. The find helped conclusively label the animal as a new species and helps scientists fill in details to the incomplete fossil record for the period in which it lived.
"Acrotholus provides a wealth of new information on the evolution of bone-headed dinosaurs (pachycephalosaurs). Although it is one of the earliest known members this group, its thickened skull dome is surprisingly well-developed for its geological age," said lead author Dr. David Evans of the Royal Ontario Museum and University of Toronto, in a statement. "More importantly, the unique fossil record of these animals suggests that we are only beginning to understand the diversity of small-bodied plant-eating dinosaurs."
While the dinosaur's skull may be the center of attraction, scientists are most intrigued by the rest of the species' small body, which is more delicate.
"We can predict that many new small dinosaur species like Acrotholus are waiting to be discovered by researchers willing to sort through the many small bones that they pick up in the field," said co-author Michael Ryan in a news release.
Evans agreed with Ryan's assessment of the significance of the plant-eater's dog-sized body.
"The species representation of small animals is generally poorer than large animals because the bones of small ones are more susceptible to carnivores and weathering processes," he said. "The bones of small animals tend to get destroyed before they enter the fossil record."
The team believes the find also challenges the stereotype that dinosaurs were all massive creatures, and instead proves a diversity of creatures roamed the planet. The pachycephalosaurs, or the group of similarly boneheaded dinosaurs that Acrotholus audeti belongs to, has opened this door for the team.
"The only reason we know that pachycephalosaurs were so diverse is because of these domes which seem to be preferentially preserved in the fossil record," he said. "And so if other dinosaur groups are anything like pachycephalosaurs, they were probably a lot more diverse too. This has implications for how you reconstruct the diversity of particular dinosaur communities through time."
The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
source: Alberta Bonehead Dinosaur Species Was Dog-Sized, Oldest Discovery of Kind
