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A team of paleontologists announces the discovery of a hadrosaur or “duck-billed dinosaur” in Africa. This interesting preview raises the even more fascinating idea that these dinosaurs crossed the sea to reach this continent.
The Hadrosauridae, more commonly known as “duck-billed dinosaurs”, are a very common extinct family of ornithopod dinosaurs. We know from the fossil record that these creatures evolved in North America before eventually spreading to South America, Asia, and Europe via land bridges.
A team of paleontologists today announced the discovery of the remains (teeth and jaws) of one of these animals. It is 66 million years old and represents a new species called Ajnabia Odysseus. Its peculiarity? It was found in Africa. However, we know that at that time the African continent was isolated from sea routes.
“It’s like finding a kangaroo in Scotland”
The discovery of the new fossil in a mine just hours from Casablanca was perhaps “the last thing in the world that could be expected,” according to Dr Nicholas Longrich of the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath, who led I study . “It’s like finding a kangaroo in Scotland.”
“Once the impossible is eliminated, all that remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth,” continues the researcher, citing Sherlock Holmes. “At that time it was impossible to go to Africa on foot. These dinosaurs actually evolved long after continental drift divided continents and we have no evidence of the existence of land bridges. “
A crossing while swimming or on rafts
Also, the big question is: how did this dinosaur, about three meters long, get there?
“Given the existence of large persistent sea routes that isolate Africa and Europe from other continents, and the absence of the large two-way trade that characterizes land bridges, these models suggest dispersions across sea barriers, similar to those observed. in Cenozoic mammals, reptiles and amphibians “, we read in the study.
For the paleontologist, it is possible that this specimen, and probably others with it, reached the African coasts by swimming in open water or by “hitchhiking” on detrital rafts.
The first hypothesis is valid. As the researcher points out, with wide tails and powerful legs, these dinosaurs were probably good swimmers. In addition, many of their own bones have been isolated in river deposits. However, he points out that these animals would have had to travel hundreds of kilometers before reaching the coast.
The second hypothesis is also interesting. Ocean crossings on debris rafts are rare occurrences, but have already been documented. This is how green iguanas traveled between islands in the Caribbean due to a hurricane. Ocean crossings also explain how lemurs and hippos arrived in Madagascar or how monkeys crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to finally reach South America.
I am a perpetually traveling writer who focuses on trending technology, health, and international e-commerce from the ground up. For the past three years, I’ve been traveling, researching a book due out in 2019. I’ve been featured, interviewed or appeared on CNBC Squawk Box, Forbes.com, VICE, BBC World and NPR Morning Edition.
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