Spikey southwestern species advanced from Asian ancestors — Scien…

Akainacephalus was introduced today in the open-obtain scientific journal PeerJ and unveiled on show in the Previous Worlds Gallery of the Normal Record Museum of Utah at the Rio Tinto Middle in Salt Lake City, Utah. The genus name is derived from the Greek text akaina, which implies ‘thorn’ or ‘spike’, and cephalus, indicating ‘head.’ The species epithet johnsoni honors Randy Johnson, a devoted museum volunteer who skillfully organized its cranium. Other gifted volunteers served to put together the rest of the specimen.

“I’m a retired chemist, but I’ve normally been fascinated in most of the science disciplines. I under no circumstances considered that I would have the option to essentially work on fossils that could be important for paleontologists,” stated Randy Johnson. “Now that I’m a museum volunteer, I am obtaining the option to work on a substantial wide variety of fossils and seek the advice of with top paleontologists — it’s like a dream 2nd job. I could not feel it when they instructed me they are naming the ankylosaur after me, a as soon as in a lifetime honor,” mentioned Johnson.

Ankylosaurids are a team of four-legged herbivorous armored dinosaurs with imposing bony tail clubs. Even though ankylosaurids originated in Asia between 125 — 100 million decades ago, they do not surface in the western North American fossil history until finally ~77 million many years ago. The new species Akainacephalus lived 76 million decades in the past all through the Late Cretaceous Period and provides the most finish skeleton of an ankylosaurid dinosaur identified in the southwestern US. It consists of a entire cranium, substantially of the vertebral column, like a total tail club, several fore and hind limbs components, and bony physique armor that contains two neck rings and spiked armor plates.

The distinctive arrangement of bony armor in the form of compact cones and pyramids masking the snout and head is the vital study acquiring indicating that Akainacephalus is intently relevant to the New Mexican ankylosaurid Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis. Amazingly, Akainacephalus and Nodocephalosaurus are additional closely similar to Asian ankylosaurids these types of as Saichania and Tarchia than to other Late Cretaceous North American ankylosaurids, including Ankylosaurus and Euoplocephalus. Each of the latter taxa have flat skull armor.

“A sensible speculation would be that ankylosaurids from Utah are connected to all those located in other places in western North The united states, so we were truly stunned to uncover that Akainacephalus was so carefully similar to species from Asia,” remarked Randall Irmis, co-writer of the study.

Nevertheless ankylosaurids originated in Asia in between 125 — 100 million years ago, they do not appear in the North American fossil history right until all over 77 million several years back. Akainacephalus after roamed the southern portion of Laramidia, a landmass on the western coastline of a shallow sea that flooded the central location, splitting the continent of North The united states in two. This prompted isolation alongside western and eastern portions of the North American continent during the Late Cretaceous Period of time, among 95-70 million several years in the past.

Direct author Jelle Wiersma implies that the geographic distribution of Late Cretaceous ankylosaurids throughout the Western Interior was the end result of a number of geologically temporary intervals of decreased sea level that allowed Asian ankylosaurid dinosaurs to immigrate to North The us several situations for the duration of the Late Cretaceous, ensuing in the existence of two separate groups of ankylosaurid dinosaurs. This decreasing of sea levels uncovered the Beringian land bridge, letting dinosaurs and other animals to go involving Asia and North America.

“It is generally thrilling to title a new fossil taxon, but it is equally remarkable if that taxon also provides extra insights into the more substantial picture of its existence, this sort of as its diet program or elements of its behavior, and the setting it lived in,” mentioned Wiersma. “These types of is particularly the situation with Akainacephalus johnsoni not only is this the 1st described and named Late Cretaceous ankylosaurid dinosaur from Utah, but this distinctive animal also strengthens the proof that unique northern and southern provincialism existed during the late Campanian phase in Laramidia, simply because to day, we never see this type of ankylosaurid dinosaurs in the fossil history of northern Laramidia,” he stated.

Wiersma defined that furthermore, with each other with its close relative Nodocephalosaurus from New Mexico, Akainacephalus seems to be incredibly different as opposed to other North American ankylosaurids such as Ankylosaurus, but alternatively, appear significantly additional like Asian ankylosaurids together with Saichania and Tarchia. From these observations we can conclude that at the very least two immigration gatherings took area throughout Late Cretaceous occasions when decreased sea amounts exposed the Beringian land bridge, connecting Asia with western North The usa.

Ankylosaurid dinosaurs, amid lots of other teams of animals, ultimately crossed this land bridge, emigrating from Asia into western North The united states, ensuing into two different sorts of Late Cretaceous ankylosaurid dinosaurs: ones that advanced flatter cranium armor like Ankylosaurus and Euoplocephalus, and types possessing extremely spiky cranium armor this sort of as Akainacephalus and Nodocephalosaurus.

“It is extremely interesting and important for the science of paleontology that we can go through so much facts from the fossil record, allowing for us to greater fully grasp extinct organisms and the ecosystems they were a aspect of,” concluded Wiersma.

These new results are portion of a analyze funded in large part by the Bureau of Land Administration, as perfectly as the Geological Society of America, and a College of Utah Division of Geology & Geophysics Graduate Scholar Grant. The job was led by University of Utah M.Sc. scholar Jelle Wiersma, now a Ph.D. student in the Dept. of Geosciences at James Cook dinner University, Queensland, Australia. Wiersma was recommended by co-writer Dr. Randall Irmis, chief curator and curator of paleontology at the Pure Record Museum of Utah, and associate professor in the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah.

Anklysaurid Dinosaurs on the Lost Continent of Southern Laramidia

Akainacephalus johnsoni was found in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) which encompasses a substantial spot of significant desert terrain in south-central Utah. This huge and rugged region, portion of the Nationwide Landscape Conservation Method administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was the final key location in the lessen 48 states to be formally mapped by cartographers.

During the Late Cretaceous, GSENM was in the southern portion of Laramidia, which stretched from the Arctic Circle to the Gulf of Mexico. Akainacephalus is aspect of a growing selection of new dinosaur discoveries around the previous 15 a long time demonstrating the outstanding diversity of animals and vegetation living on Laramidia concerning 80-75 million decades in the past. A person of the most thrilling conclusions from this get the job done is that virtually just about every species of dinosaur identified in GSENM is new to science, and Akainacephalus is no exception. Other a short while ago found out species include big and small meat-ingesting dinosaurs (e.g., tyrannosaurs), horned dinosaurs, and duck-billed dinosaurs. “A key very long-time period purpose of our get the job done in southern Utah is to try and realize why the species in GSENM vary from relatives of the exact same geologic age identified in other elements of Laramidia,” claimed Wiersma. Hypotheses for the distinctions involve variations in sea degree, local climate variances across latitude, and physical obstacles to animal motion these types of as mountains and substantial rivers.

Actuality Sheet: Big Details of the Paper

(1) Akainacephalus is a remarkable new species of ankylosaurid dinosaur from the higher Campanian Kaiparowits Formation in Grand Staircase-Escalante Countrywide Monument in Kane County, southern Utah.

(2) Akainacephalus is the most comprehensive Late Cretaceous ankylosaurid dinosaur found from Utah and the southwestern U.S., and is distinguished by a quantity of special functions, which include spikes and cones of the bony exterior covering the head and snout.

(3) The spikes and cones of bony armor on the skull of Akainacephalus are similar to all those observed on the New Mexican ankylosaurid Nodocephelausaurus kirtlandensis but distinctive from all other recognized Late Cretaceous Laramidian ankylosaurids these as Ankylosaurus, Euoplocephalus, and Ziapelta, indicating these two species are additional carefully linked to some Asian ankylosaurids.

(4) The new ankylosaurid Akainacephalus indicates many ankylosaurid emigration situations from Asia to Laramidia through the Late Cretaceous.

(5) Jointly with some anklylosaurid dinosaurs from northern Laramidia, which include Dyoplosaurus acutossquameus and Scolosaurus cutleri (equally ~ 77 Ma), Akainacephalus represents one particular of the oldest identified ankylosaurid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of western North The united states (~76 Ma).

New Dinosaur Title: Akainacephalus johnsoni

• The initially part of the name, Akaina, is a Greek word that can be translated to spike or thorn. The 2nd element of the title cephalus means head, and the epithet johnsoni honors Randy Johnson, a committed paleontology volunteer at the Pure History Museum of Utah who ready the specimen’s cranium.

Sizing

• Akainacephalus, is a medium-sized dinosaur, and was 13-16 ft extended (4-5 meters) and was 3 ½ toes tall (1 — 1.5 meters) at the hips.

Relationships

• Akainacephalus belongs to a group of herbivorous armored dinosaurs known as anklosaurids that lived in Asia and western North The us all through the Late Cretaceous Period (100-66 million several years in the past). Just one of the one of a kind attributes of ankylosaurid dinosaurs is the presence of a characteristic bony tail club.

Anatomy

• Akainacephalus walked on 4 legs, which were being positioned immediately beneath his body.
• Akainacephalus was included in bony armor from head to tail, with various sized and shaped bony plates, termed osteoderms, which are considered to offer protection.
• Akainacephalus is characterized by its elaborate masking of spikes and horns on the skull, as very well a big bony club at the close of its tail.
• Akainacephalus presumably experienced little, leaf-shaped enamel for consuming plants. These fell out of the jaw following dying, but right before the skeleton was buried by sediment.

Age and Geography

• Akainacephalus lived throughout the upper Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period of time, which spanned from somewhere around 84 million to 72 million years back. This animal lived about 76 million a long time ago.
• Akainacephalus was learned in 76 Ma outdated rocks of the Kaiparowits Development, a geological/stratigraphic device exposed in southern Utah consisting of sedimentary rocks deposited by rivers and streams.

Discovery & Excavation

• Akainacephalus was initially found out in 2008 in the course of a museum-led paleontological expedition in a distant area of BLM-administered Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in Kane County, southern Utah, United states of america. The site was found out by BLM employee Scott Richardson.
• The bones of Akainacephalus that had been learned consist of a comprehensive skull, bony armor that consists of neck rings and spiked plates, a lot of vertebrae, forelimb and hindlimb bones, and a close to total tail with tail club.
• Akainacephalus was observed alongside one another with skeletons of several other animals at the similar web-site, which includes a duck-monthly bill dinosaur (Gryposaurus), a just lately-explained species of turtle (Arvinachelys), and a nevertheless unnamed relative of alligators and caimans).
• Akainacephalus is completely housed in the collections of the All-natural Background Museum of Utah at the Rio Tinto Middle in Salt Lake Town and on general public screen at the museum’s Earlier Worlds show.
• These discoveries are the end result of an ongoing collaboration concerning the Pure Record Museum of Utah and the Bureau of Land Administration.

Preparation

• It necessary just about four decades to absolutely put together all of the bones of Akainacephalus.
• Planning of the cranium was accomplished by museum volunteer Randy Johnson, who is honored in the new title, Akainacephalus johnsoni