The find was made on the territory of modern Argentina, in the province of Rio Negro, near the Cerro Policia region. The new species was named Jakapil kaniukura, which in translation from the dead language of the Puelche people means shield bearer. It lived about 100 million years ago.

jakapil kaniukura

The new dinosaur belongs to the thyreophora (Thyreophora) group, but if other species rely significantly on size, the Jakapil bets on dexterity and fast running.

• The dinosaur was the size of a cat and was up to 1.5 meters long.
• The weight of the animal is estimated to be between four and seven kilograms.
• Jakapil moved on his outstretched hind legs.
• Outwardly, it resembled dragons – there was a pointed crest on the head and along the spine, and additional plates on the sides, around the neck and along the tail protected it from numerous predators.

All discovered Jakapil kaniukura bones / Photo: Facundo J. Righetti

Jakapil was a herbivorous dinosaur. It fed on hard desert plants, not soft leaves. He probably had to move a lot to search for food and avoid danger.

Paleontologists say that this is the first representative of Thyreophores from Latin America of the Cretaceous period. Fossils of this species have been found in excavations for a decade, but scientists only now have enough information to separate the dinosaur into an independent species.