Scientists have named a newly discovered "bone-head" dinosaur species Acrotholus audeti. This new species hints at the possible higher diversity of smaller dinosaurs.
Scientists have named a newly discovered, plant eating, "bone-head" dinosaur species Acrotholus audeti. It is known to be the oldest bone-head species in North America, possibly the whole world too. The creature weighed 40 kgs in life and was approximately six feet long.
The name means "high dome," which refers to the new species' dome-shaped skull. This skull is composed of heavy bones, more than two inches thick. Scientists reveal that the name was also given to the species in honor of Alberta rancher Roy Audet on whose land the discovery was made in 2008.
The findings suggest that the dinosaur walked on two legs and had a huge domed skull above its eyes. The skull may have been used for intimidation and display also during head-butting competitions against other creatures.
Acrotholus lived more than 85 million years ago, according to the journal Nature Communications, which published the research of Dr. Michael Ryan, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
"Acrotholus provides a wealth of new information on the evolution of bone-headed dinosaurs. 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. "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."
The discovery of this species of dinosaur is the latest in a series of new finds being made by Evans and Ryan as part of their Southern Alberta Dinosaur Project. This project aims to fill the gaps in the record of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs and to study their evolution.
