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The remains of a duck-billed dinosaur that lived 66 million years ago have been found in Morocco and must have crossed at least 250 miles of ocean to get there, scientists say.
Paleontologists from the University of Bath and others have found the fossil remains of the unusual dinosaur, nicknamed Ajnabia odysseus, in rocks in Morocco.
This is the first time that a member of the duck-billed dinosaur family has been found in Africa, suggesting that Anjabia had to cross oceans to get to its destination – researchers couldn’t tell exactly where it came from or the actual distance traveled. .
Ajnabia was about 10 feet long, about the size of a pony, and was a member of the diverse group of duck-billed dinosaur reptiles that evolved in North America.
At the time this dinosaur lived, Africa was an island continent, surrounded by water, and until now this species had only been found in North America, Europe and Asia.
Paleontologists from the University of Bath and others have found the fossil remains of the unusual dinosaur, nicknamed Ajnabia odysseus, in rocks in Morocco
Researchers believe this is the first example of a duck-billed dinosaur in Africa: they evolved in North America before spreading to Europe and Asia. This image shows Europe and Africa as it was in the Late Cretaceous with highlighted places where duck beaks were found
Dr Nicholas Longrich, of the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath, said he discovered the fossil in a mine just hours from Casablanca.
He said it was “the last thing in the world you’d expect” and it was “completely out of place, like finding a kangaroo in Scotland”.
“Sherlock Holmes said that once the impossible is eliminated, whatever remains, however unlikely, must be the truth,” added Longrich.
‘It was impossible to walk to Africa. These dinosaurs evolved long after continental drift divided continents and we have no evidence of land bridges “,
Looking at the likely layout of the planet at that time, there were no shallow platforms that could form a land bridge between Europe and Africa, Langrich told MailOnline.
“Geology tells us Africa was isolated from the oceans. If so, the only way to get there is water,” Longrich said, suggesting the dinosaur had to swim to its destination.
Although the team were unable to say how long the swim would be or exactly where the dinosaur came from, they predict it likely came from Europe.
Longrich told MailOnline he would have to swim about 250 miles or so, probably somewhere in what is now Europe.
“I suppose if the sea level were a little lower, depending on the exact reconstruction, it could be a little less … but it’s a long, long way!” He said.
Scientists examined Ajnabia’s distinctive teeth and jawbones and found that it belonged to Lambeosaurinae, a duckbill subfamily with elaborate bony head crests.
Dr Nicholas Longrich, of the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath, said he discovered the fossil in a mine just hours from Casablanca.
Lambeosaurs evolved in North America before spreading to Asia and Europe, but have never been discovered in Africa before.
Duckbills must have traversed hundreds of miles of open water, rafting on debris, floating or swimming, to reach Africa.
They were likely powerful swimmers, as they had wide tails and powerful legs, and are often discovered in river deposits and sea rocks.
This suggests that persistent reptiles may have been swimming for distance.
The fossil remains of Ajnabia odysseus have been found near Casablanca in Morocco, the first to be discovered in Africa
In reference to this, the dinosaur is called Ajnabia odysseus – Ajnabi in Arabic means “foreigner” and Odysseus comes from the Greek seafarer.
Ocean crossings are rare occurrences but have previously been observed in other ancient lizard species, including green iguanas that used debris to travel between Caribbean islands during a hurricane.
A Seychelles turtle also floated hundreds of miles across the Indian Ocean to reach Africa.
Dr. Longrich said: “Over the course of millions of years, events that happen once in a century are likely to happen many times.
The Earth looked different 66 million years ago, with higher sea levels cutting Africa out of Europe by an ocean and parts of Europe further shattered by water
Ajnabia grew to about 10 feet in length, significantly smaller than the other members of the duck-billed family which could reach a whopping 49 feet
‘Ocean crossings are needed to explain how lemurs and hippos got to Madagascar, or how monkeys and rodents went from Africa to South America.
“As far as I know, we are the first to suggest ocean crossings for dinosaurs.”
Dr Nour-Eddine Jalil, of the Sorbonne University Museum of Natural History, described how dinosaurs reached Africa and found the fossil of a terrestrial animal in a marine environment as a “succession of unlikely events. “.
This “highlights the rarity of our discovery and therefore its importance,” said Dr. Jalil.
“Ajnabia shows us that hadrosaurs have set foot on African land, telling us that ocean barriers are not always an insurmountable obstacle.”
The study is published in the journal Cretaceous Research.
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