A labrador-sized dinosaur was wrongly categorized when it was found and is actually a new species, scientists have discovered. Its new name is Enigmacursor, meaning puzzling runner, and it lived about 150 million years ago, running around the feet of famous giants like the Stegosaurus. It was originally classified as a Nanosaurus but scientists now conclude it is a different animal. The discovery promises to shed light on the evolutionary history that saw early small dinosaurs become very large and “bizarre” animals.
The Enigmacursor was a small dinosaur that lived alongside some of the biggest known. It also had a relatively small head, so it was probably not the brightest. With the fossilized remains of its bones, conservators assembled the skeleton onto a metal frame for display. The scientists have now formally erased the whole category of Nanosaurus and believe that other small dinosaur specimens from this period are probably also distinct species.
The discovery should help the scientists understand the diversity of dinosaurs in the Late Jurassic period. Smaller dinosaurs are very close to the origins of the large groups of dinosaurs that become much more prominent later on. Specimens like this help fill in some of those gaps in our knowledge, showing us how those changes occur gradually over time. Looking at these early creatures helps them identify the pressures that finally led to the evolution of their more bizarre, gigantic descendants.
The scientists are excited to have such a rare complete skeleton of a small dinosaur. Traditionally, big dinosaur bones have been the biggest prize, so there has been less interest in digging out smaller fossils. The findings about Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae are published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Source link
