A
new species of dinosaur was discovered from fossils found in South
Africa back in the 1960's, and recently found in a collection at Harvard
University by a palaeontologist named Paul Sereno. Pegomastax
africanus, or "thick jaw from Africa," is one of the smallest dinosaurs
every discovered, growing to 45 cm long and less than 20 cm high, and
its jaws are a measly 2.5 cm long each. It belonged to
a group of dinosaurs called heterodontosaurs, which were small
herbivores with prominent canine teeth. It lived in Southern Africa
around 200 million years ago, when Pangaea began to split into northern
and southern continents.
Its appearance would have been
bizarre. It had a short parrot-like beak, two stabbing canines, and tall
teeth meant for slicing plants and picking fruit. This may be strange
for a plant-eating dinosaurs, although some herbivores today (like
fanged deer) also sport these large canines, which are mainly used as
self defense. P. africanus was also covered in long porcupine-like
bristles that were probably meant to make the animal look bigger.
Overall, this dinosaur's physiology was ahead of its time, with a jaw
structure similar to those of mammals that did not appear until millions
of years later. Its small size makes it stand out in a world of giant
dinosaurs, and Sereno joked that it would have probably made a good pet,
"if you could train it not to nip you."
Sources:
http://www.zmescience.com/
http://
http://www.earthtimes.org/
A
new species of dinosaur was discovered from fossils found in South
Africa back in the 1960's, and recently found in a collection at Harvard
University by a palaeontologist named Paul Sereno. Pegomastax
africanus, or "thick jaw from Africa," is one of the smallest dinosaurs
every discovered, growing to 45 cm long and less than 20 cm high, and
its jaws are a measly 2.5 cm long each. It belonged to
a group of dinosaurs called heterodontosaurs, which were small
herbivores with prominent canine teeth. It lived in Southern Africa
around 200 million years ago, when Pangaea began to split into northern
and southern continents.
Its appearance would have been bizarre. It had a short parrot-like beak, two stabbing canines, and tall teeth meant for slicing plants and picking fruit. This may be strange for a plant-eating dinosaurs, although some herbivores today (like fanged deer) also sport these large canines, which are mainly used as self defense. P. africanus was also covered in long porcupine-like bristles that were probably meant to make the animal look bigger.
Overall, this dinosaur's physiology was ahead of its time, with a jaw structure similar to those of mammals that did not appear until millions of years later. Its small size makes it stand out in a world of giant dinosaurs, and Sereno joked that it would have probably made a good pet, "if you could train it not to nip you."
Sources:
http://www.zmescience.com/
http://
http://www.earthtimes.org/
Its appearance would have been bizarre. It had a short parrot-like beak, two stabbing canines, and tall teeth meant for slicing plants and picking fruit. This may be strange for a plant-eating dinosaurs, although some herbivores today (like fanged deer) also sport these large canines, which are mainly used as self defense. P. africanus was also covered in long porcupine-like bristles that were probably meant to make the animal look bigger.
Overall, this dinosaur's physiology was ahead of its time, with a jaw structure similar to those of mammals that did not appear until millions of years later. Its small size makes it stand out in a world of giant dinosaurs, and Sereno joked that it would have probably made a good pet, "if you could train it not to nip you."
Sources:
http://www.zmescience.com/
http://
http://www.earthtimes.org/
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