The Threophoran Dinosaur Fossils, previously thought to be mostly associated with the supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana, have been discovered in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco. Researchers named the new fossil Adratiklit boulahfa, which means “Mountain Lizard” in Berber, symbolic of the Amazigh land it was found on.
The discovery of Morocco’s Adratiklit boulahfa is particularly fascinating as it dates to the Middle Jurassic Period. “Most known stegosaurs date from far later… (and this) makes it the oldest definite stegosaur described and helps to increase our understanding of the evolution of this group of dinosaurs,” said Susannah Maidment, team leader, and paleontologist at London’s Natural History Museum.
The Thyreophorans are classified as “armored dinosaurs” and fall into the categories of Ankylosaurs and Stegosaurians. Their bodies were lined in longitudinal rows, had scale deposits, and spiky plates. Most were considered herbivores with small brains in comparison to their elaborate size. They are considered the oldest dinosaurs and lived 168 million years ago from the Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous period. The news is exciting to paleontologists and researchers who are eager to find a complete Thyreophoran skeleton system. “Most stegosaurs …. have been found in Laurasian rock formations, therefore, Gondwana rock formations have been subject to far fewer excavations and detailed studies,” said Maidment.
This new discovery in Morocco alters the landscape. The idea that a complete Threophoran skeleton might exist and is accessible will reveal a lot of information about the species and a show the diversity of armored dinosaurs. Discussions about more excavations in the former Gondwana is taking shape among the international archeological community.