An international group of scientists discovered fossils of pony-sized platypus dinosaurs in Morocco. Their analysis shows a surprising connection between dinosaurs in Europe and Africa. How did platypus dinosaurs, a group that evolved in North America, end up in Morocco? 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, high sea levels and the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea turned Africa into an isolated island continent. It was surrounded by water on all sides.

A few years ago, the remains of a member of the platypus family, a group that thrives in North America, were found in Africa, raising questions about how they got there.

New results from scientific reports

Now a new study has been published Scientific Reports, It shows that platypuses not only managed to cross the Tethys Sea, but also became very diverse as they colonized Africa, and that at least three species lived in North Africa by the end of the Cretaceous. Fossils in Morocco reveal a new species of platypus dinosaur Minqaria bataIt was about the size of a pony, about 3-4 meters long and weighing about 250 kg. Although the animal was small by platypus standards, its skull bones were tightly fused, indicating that it was mature.

The anatomy of the new platypus is very similar to that of the European species, suggesting that the platypus swam or swam across several hundred kilometers of open water to colonize North Africa. Additionally, the larger bones suggest the existence of a third, larger species, approximately 5-6 meters long.

The research was conducted by Dr. from the Department of Life Sciences and the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath. Nicolas Longrich, Javier Pereda-Suberbiola from the University of the Basque Country, Nathalie Barde from the National Museum of Natural History, and Nur-Eddin Jalil from the National Museum of Natural History at Cadi Ayyad University and the Natural History Museum of Marrakech.

Understanding Minqaria bata and its ecosystem

A new dinosaur has been named Minqaria bata (From Arabic meaning “beak” and “duck” respectively). Minqaria very similar to the only previously known African platypus Ajnabia odysseus but the shape of the jaws and teeth is different; This suggests that it is a different species and probably occupies a different ecological niche.

AND Minqaria And Acnabia It was part of the subfamily Lambeosaurinae, a group of platypuses known for their showy head crests. These coats of arms were not just for show; They contained long nasal passages that could echo like a horn.

Dr. who directed the research. “These must be loud-sounding animals,” Longrich said. “Modern birds vocalize to find a mate or to declare territory. But they are particularly noisy in flocks – a flock of flamingos or a nesting colony of pelicans are extremely noisy and constantly communicating.

“So it’s possible that these platypuses are social animals, like birds.”

The brain is also large by dinosaur standards; this is a trait associated with social animals such as crows and primates. Dr Longrich said: “66 million years ago, very noisy and noisy flocks (or these small flocks of platypuses, if you prefer) probably roamed the coast of Morocco.”

Minqaria It was a small animal, but the bones surrounding the brain are tightly packed and partially fused, indicating that it was a fully adult individual. Another type of Moroccan, AcnabiaIt was about the same size. The large bones the team also studied, including the humerus and femur, point to a third, larger type.

“Not only did platypuses manage to reach Africa at the end of the Cretaceous, but once they did, they rapidly evolved and diversified to take advantage of open niches,” Longrich said.

The meaning of discovery

At the end of the Cretaceous period, sea levels were high, submerging most of the continents, and the Earth’s landmass was fragmented by the breakup of Pangea and continental drift. Therefore, Africa was floating alone in the ocean, an island continent like modern-day Australia. But platypus dinosaurs, which evolved long after terrestrial contacts had been cut off, somehow managed to reach Africa.

“It is extremely unlikely that dinosaurs ever crossed water to reach Africa,” Longrich said, “but improbable does not mean impossible.” Given enough time, the unthinkable becomes possible. Buy a lottery ticket every day and if you wait long enough you’ll win.

“These ocean crossings may happen every million years, but the Cretaceous period lasted almost 100 million years. A lot of strange things will happen during this time, including dinosaurs crossing the seas.”

He noted that modern animals are sometimes seen during unusual ocean voyages. Iguanas dragged by the hurricane in the Caribbean Sea were thrown onto another island hundreds of kilometers away. A turtle thrown into the sea from the island of Aldabra was dragged to the coast of Tanzania, 700 kilometers away. During the Ice Age, deers, elephants and hippos swam to the island of Crete.

“These platypuses are probably the most amazing find of my career,” Longrich said. “If you asked me what dinosaurs we would find in Africa, the platypus would be the last thing on my mind, let alone three species.

“There are still many unknowns in the fossil record, but if there weren’t, we wouldn’t need to continue collecting fossils.”

Dr Nour-Eddin Jalil, from the Natural History Museum and Cadi Ayyad University in Paris, said: “The phosphates of Morocco provide new images of past biodiversity during a key period in the history of life, in the final moments of the age of dinosaurs, heralding a new era by diversifying mammals.” .

“minkaria and his relatives, players we would never have guessed a few years ago would be on the African continent at that time. Although these phosphates of Morocco are of marine origin, they also contain the remains of land-dwelling vertebrates. They represent one of the few windows into Africa’s terrestrial ecosystems. Dinosaur remains show great diversity; “All three major groups of dinosaurs are represented: carnivorous abelisaurs, herbivorous sauropods, and ornithischians.”