Paleontologists have found the oldest dinosaur with a domed head

0:30 Artistic reconstruction of the pachycephalozaurus. Masai Hattor

Paleontologists have found the fossilized remains of the oldest dinosaurs with a domed head.

The skeleton found in the Huren Spirit in the Eastern Gobi Basin in Mongolia belongs to a new species of the pachycephalozaurus called Zavacephale Rinpoche and dates from 108-115 million years ago, according to an article published in Nature on Wednesday.

These fossils are the most complete and the oldest of the famous, ever related to the pachycephalozaurus, known for their unique heads.

“This instance is a unique discovery,” said Lindsey Nazno, Associate Professor of Studies at North Carolina University and the article. “It is notable for the fact that it is the oldest final pachycephalozaurus, which pushes the paleontological chronicle of this group at least 15 million years ago, as well as how full and well it has been preserved.”

Skull Zavatsefal. Museum of Natural Sciences of North Carolina.

According to the researchers, during its existence, the Gobi Desert was a valley, littered with lakes and surrounded by rocks or ledges.

Recently found remains probably belonged to a small “teenager”, about 90 cm long and almost 6.5 kg weighing, said in his statement, the Tsogtbaatar Cumner, Paleontologist of the Mongol Academy of Sciences, who found fossils and the leading author of the article. He had a well -developed dome, which indicates his gender.

Pachycephalozauri is often depicted that they use their domed heads to participate in their heads.

It is believed that thickened skulls found in pachycephalozaurs, or provided a self -defense, or played a role in socio -sexual behavior – to attract a partner or reflect competition, scientists say. Pachycephalosaurus was known for their complex sociosexual systems, researchers say.

“If you need to intervene in a relationship, it will be a good idea to start rehearsing as soon as possible,” Nazno said.

Artistic reconstruction of the pachycephalozaurus. Masai Hattor

According to the article, pachycephalozaurus with a domed head is one of the “most mysterious” dinosaurs.

“Pakhicephalozaurus is a cult dinosaur, but they are also rare and mysterious,” Nazno said.

According to the researchers, Z.rinpoche is one of the oldest divergent pachycephalozaurs, and its opening pushes fossil evidence of the frontal dome at least 14 million years earlier.

According to the study, this discovery fills the gap in paleontological findings of the early Cretaceous in Mongolia. The lack of early records prevented the efforts to determine the origin and early evolution of dinosaur species with domed heads.

«Z. RinPoche is an important example for understanding the development of the cranial dome of pachycephalozaurus, which has long been discussed due to the lack of early divergent or preppointment species and fragmentary in the nature of almost all fossils of pachycephalozaurus, ”Chinzor said.

Soures: abcnews.go.com