New Stegosaur Species Discovered in North Africa
A 20-foot-long beast with a unique asymmetrical armor plating, the North African monster belongs to an entirely new genus within the stegosaur family.
According to Sci-News, the newfound monster was unearthed in the Middle Atlas mountains south of Fès, Morocco. It has been named Thyreosaurus atlasicus, a member of the stegosaur family of armored dinosaurs.
Discovered in gray shale of the El Mers III formation near the town of Boulemane, a fossil-rich region, the partial skeleton of Thyreosaurus atlasicus was found disarticulated.
Dr. Mostafa Oukassou of Hassan II University in Casablanca, Morocco, and colleagues determined the specimen to be 165 million years old, dating back to the Middle Jurassic period.
"In 2021, during a geological mapping mission in the area south of Boulemane (Middle Atlas, Morocco), we discovered a new dinosaur-bearing locality in the El Mers III Formation," the authors explain.
This site, named Boulahfa North, is located north of the Boulahfa quarry.
Through several field campaigns, the colossal remains of the beast were collected, including vertebrae and ribs, limb bones, and armor plates.
Unique Armor Plating
Thyreosaurus atlasicus is distinguished by its bizarre, asymmetrical skin armor, unlike any seen in other stegosaurs.
The armor consisted of thick, up to 4-centimeter-thick plates, with shapes ranging from flattened ovals to elongate rectangles.
Crucially, the two sides of the plates were not symmetrical. One surface was covered in small pits and tiny grooves, while the other exhibited a pronounced net-like pattern. This is unlike anything previously observed in armored dinosaurs.
The skeletal structure of the armor plates also resembles the tail spikes of some stegosaurs.
Furthermore, the plates were arranged in horizontal rows along the animal's body, instead of vertical rows as in other stegosaurs.
Although not fully grown, the Thyreosaurus atlasicus individual was already a massive animal, measuring up to 6 meters (20 feet) in length.
With its distinctive features, the Moroccan monster provides an important piece in the puzzle of the evolutionary history of armored dinosaurs.