Scientists discover new species of duck-billed dinosaurs that crossed a treacherous ocean to reach Africa

Of all the prehistoric creatures that have gone extinct, dinosaurs are perhaps the most fascinating. Each fossilized remains is a time capsule waiting to be unlocked and its ancient secret waiting to be learned. Uncovering one of these mysteries, scientists have uncovered the very first fossils of a duck-billed dinosaur in Africa, suggesting that the creature crossed hundreds of kilometers of open ocean to get to the continent.

The fossil of the dinosaur the size of a newly identified pony, Ajnabia odysseus, was found in modern day Morocco, in a mine near the famous city of Casablanca. The relics of Ajnabia have been unearthed among the rocks dating back to the end of the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago. According to the international team of paleontologists, finding the remains of the duck-billed dinosaur in Africa was surprising.

“It was completely out of place, like finding a kangaroo in Scotland. Africa was completely isolated from water, so how did they get there?” Dr. Nicholas Longrich, lead author of the study, expressed in a statement.

Making an impossible journey

Duck-billed dinosaurs were a diverse group of herbivores reaching lengths of up to 15 meters. However, compared to all the other larger members of the family, Ajnabia stands at only 3 meters in length. Analysis of its jaws and teeth revealed that the dinosaur belonged to a duckbill subfamily known as Lambeosaurinae. These dinosaurs had elaborate and intricate bony ridges.

Lambeosaurinae had the same evolutionary trajectory as all other duckbills (i.e., they evolved in North America and gradually spread to Asia, Europe and South America. Therefore, finding the relatively small dinosaur in Africa left scientists stunned. Through reconstructing the evolution of the duck bill, the authors concluded that after touring in North America, they reached Asia via a land bridge at the time.

Subsequently, they headed to Europe and, finally, to Africa. With this exceptional journey undertaken by the duck bill in mind, the authors baptized it Ajnabia odysseus. Ajnabi in Arabic means “foreigner” while Odysseus is a reference to the legendary Greek explorer.

Find your way to an isolated land

So the important question that baffled the researchers was, “How did Ajnabia get to Africa?” Africa was a geographical pariah at the time that was isolated from other continents by deep oceans. In order for duck beaks to reach such an inaccessible land, they would have to cross several hundred kilometers of open sea. The authors concluded that Ajnabia simply did. Probably swimming, floating or rafting on debris; they arrived and colonized Africa.

The case for them swimming to the mainland could be strong, as duckbills are said to possess the physical requirements of strong swimmers: they had powerful legs and large tails. Furthermore, their remains have been found in marine rocks and river deposits, thus suggesting they just swam in Africa.

“It was impossible to walk to Africa. These dinosaurs evolved long after continental drift divided continents and we have no evidence of land bridges. Geology tells us Africa was isolated from the oceans. If it is. thus, the only way to get there is by water, “Longrich pointed out.

Draw a logical conclusion

Even if the Ajnabia undertaking seems impossible, it is not without documents. Although rare, ocean crossings have been observed in the distant past. For example, green iguanas are known to have jumped from island to island in the Caribbean through debris carried by a hurricane.

“Over the course of millions of years. Events that happen once in a century are likely to happen many times over. Ocean crossings are needed to explain how lemurs and hippos got to Madagascar, or how monkeys and rodents got there. ‘Africa to South America,’ Longrich said.

However, the spread of duckbills and other dinosaurs, despite the extremely high sea level, indicates that dinosaurs also traveled across the oceans. “As far as I know, we are the first to suggest ocean crossings for dinosaurs,” Longrich noted.

Emphasizing the rarity and importance of the discovery, Dr Nour-Eddine Jalil, co-author of the study, said: “Ajnabia shows us that hadrosaurs have set foot on African land, telling us that ocean reefs are not always an insurmountable obstacle. “