Dinosaurs: Fossil shows ‘different appearance’ says expert
The first new skull of a rare species of the Parasaurolophus dinosaur has been excavated in 97 years, archaeologists have announced. Impressive preservation of the newly-discovered dinosaur skull has provided palaeontologists with an exciting opportunity to definitively identify how this ancient creature grew such abizarre structure.
The research for the first time found characteristics linking tube-crested dinosaur species found in southern North America, distinct from the only northern species.
My jaw dropped when I first saw the fossil
Palaeontologist Terry Gates
The Parasaurolophus fossil has been dated to approximately 75 million years ago – a period when ancient North America was divided by a shallow sea teeming with duckbilled dinosaurs, horned dinosaurs and even early iterations of T-Rex.
Analysis of additional features of the skull excluding the crest, together with information from other Parasaurolophus discoveries, now suggest all of the southern species from New Mexico and Utah may be more closely related than they are to their northern cousin.
This fits patterns observed in other dinosaur groups of the same age, including horned dinosaurs.
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Joe Sertich, curator of dinosaurs at the Denver Museum of Nature And Science and head of the researchers who discovered the specimen, revealed how, despite its extreme morphology, the specimen’s crest is formed much like the crests of related duckbilled dinosaurs.
He said in a statement: “This specimen is a wonderful example of amazing creatures evolving from a single ancestor.
“Imagine your nose growing up your face, three feet behind your head, then turning around to attach above your eyes.”
Terry Gates, a palaeontologist from North Carolina State University, added: “Parasaurolophus breathed through eight feet of pipe before oxygen ever reached its head.”
The duckbilled Parasaurolophus is among the most recognisable dinosaurs, boasted an elaborate elongated tube-like crest on its head containing an internal network of airways.
Three species of Parasaurolophus are recognised by dinosaur experts, ranging from Alberta to New Mexico in rocks dating between 77 and 73.5 million years ago.
The new skull belongs to Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus, first identified from a single specimen collected in the same region of New Mexico in 1923 by famed fossil hunter Charles Sternberg.
Both specimens display a truncated, more curved crest than other species, a feature most likely related to their immaturity at death.
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David Evans, Vice President of Natural History at the Royal Ontario Museum, said: “Over the past 100 years, ideas for the purpose of the exaggerated tube crest have ranged from snorkels to super sniffers.
“But after decades of study, we now think these crests functioned primarily as sound resonators and visual displays used to communicate within their own species.”
“This specimen is truly remarkable in its preservation.
“It has answered long-standing questions about how the crest is constructed and about the validity of this particular species. For me, this fossil is very exciting.”
The partial skull was discovered in 2017 by Smithsonian Ecology Fellow Dr Erin Spear while exploring northwestern New Mexico’s badlands.
Lodged deep in the Bisti / De-Na-Zin Wilderness, only a tiny portion of the skull was initially visible on a steep sandstone slope.
A surprising wealth of bone fragments at the site indicated much of the skeleton may have once been preserved on an ancient sand bar, but only the partial skull, part of the lower jaw, and a handful of ribs survived erosion.
Mr Sertich said: “The preservation of this new skull is spectacular, finally revealing in detail the bones that make up the crest of this amazing dinosaur known by nearly every dinosaur-obsessed kid.
“This just reinforces the importance of protecting our public lands for scientific discoveries.”
And palaeontologist Terry Gates appeared equally awestruck by the dinosaur fossil discovery, saying: “My jaw dropped when I first saw the fossil.
“I’ve been waiting for nearly 20 years to see a specimen of this quality.”
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