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An international team of scientists says dinosaurs were able to migrate across the oceans. This extraordinary claim was based on the discovery of new duck-billed dinosaur fossils unearthed in Morocco. Duck-billed dinosaurs were a diverse group of herbivores that grew up to 15 meters (49 feet) in length. The research could revolutionize our understanding of how dinosaurs populated the planet millions of years ago.
The new duck-billed dinosaur fossils were found in a mine near Casablanca, Morocco. They have been studied by an international team of scientists from America, Spain, France and Morocco. Upon examination, the researchers determined that “the distinctive teeth and jawbones show it belonged to Lambeosaurinae, a subfamily of duckbills with elaborate bony head crests,” according to a press release from the University of Bath, England. . These dinosaurs evolved into what is now North America and from there spread to Europe, Asia and Africa.
The earliest duck-billed dinosaur fossils ever found in Africa
This is the first time this type of dinosaur has been found in Africa. It was also established that the fossils came from a new type of duck-billed dinosaur, which was named Ajnabia odysseus. Compared to other duckbills, Ajnabia odysseus was very small, only 3 meters (10 feet) long, and was “as big as a pony,” reports the University of Bath.
The creature lived in the era known as the Late Cretaceous period, which was 100-66 million years ago. This was the last great era of the dinosaurs and the final stage of the Mesozoic geological period, when birds became more common.
Silhouette showing Ajnabia odysseus size relative to humans and contemporary dinosaur fauna of Maastricht Morocco. (Dr Nick Longrich / Science Direct )
A new species of duck-billed dinosaur was the last thing experts expected to discover. The leader of the research team, Dr Nicholas Longrich of the University of Bath, said that ‘It was completely out of place, like finding a kangaroo in Scotland. Africa was completely isolated from water, so how did they get there? ”, According to the press release. At that time, based on our knowledge of geology, Africa was an island and there is no evidence of land bridges. So how could these duckbills get to Africa from another continent?
So how did the duck-billed dinosaurs come from America to Africa?
Dr. Longrich says in the report that “Sherlock Holmes said, once the impossible is eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” It was impossible to walk to Africa.
Longrich told CNN that “These dinosaurs evolved long after continental drift divided continents.” Therefore, they must have swum or moved through hundreds of miles of ocean water. Studies on duck bills have shown that they were potentially good swimmers due to their muscular legs and broad tail. It is also known that they swam in the sea because their fossils have been found in marine environments.
Therefore, the only answer is that the species crossed the seas from what is now North America to Africa. In the past, these continents were much closer than they currently are, probably only several hundred miles apart. According to the University of Bath, the extraordinary feat of crossing a sea is why the African subspecies was given the name Ajnabia odysseus. Ajnabia in Arabic means foreigner and Odysseus refers to the legendary Greek hero and sailor.
Map showing the location of duck-billed dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous period. (Dr Nick Longrich / Science Direct )
Dinosaurs crossing oceans are not entirely surprising
There are many cases of ocean crossings by animals due to bizarre events such as hurricanes. Longrich said that “the events of once in a century are likely to happen many times.” These extraordinary events are believed to have led to the colonization of South America in the distant past by species of monkeys and rodents native to Africa.
The discovery of duck-billed dinosaur fossils in Morocco shows that dinosaurs traveled across the seas. The researchers wrote that the results “suggest dispersions across marine reefs, similar to those seen in Cenozoic mammals, reptiles and amphibians,” reports Cretaceous Research. The University of Bath study provides evidence, for the first time ever, that dinosaurs migrated across the oceans.
The University of Bath quotes Dr Nour-Eddine Jalil, of the Sorbonne University in Paris, as saying that “The succession of unlikely events (crossing of an ocean by a dinosaur, fossilization of a terrestrial animal in a marine environment) highlights the rarity of our discovery hence its importance. “This may help explain how they successfully populated the entire planet.
Top image: Duck-billed dinosaurs evolved in North America and then spread to South America, Asia, Europe, and eventually Africa. Source: Raul Martin / University of Bath
By Ed Whelan
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