Horned Dinosaur Fossil From 'Lost Continent' Identified

Researchers have discovered an unusual dog-sized horned dinosaur fossil, which dates back to about 100 million years ago, a new study revealed. The fossil was identified Dr. Nick Longrich from the Milner Centre for Evolution, at the University of Bath in the UK. The fossil is revealing new evidence on the east-west spilt in North American dinosaur evolution. 

Toward the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 to 100 million years ago, North America was divided into two continents, where a shallow sea separated Arctic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The separation of the east and west continents hindered the dinosaurs from migrating, according to Longrich. Due to long periods of isolation, the dinosaurs evolved differently into strange looking creatures.

"Studying fossils from this period, when the sea levels were very high and the landmasses across the Earth were very fragmented, is like looking at several independent experiments in dinosaur evolution," Longrich said in a news release. 

The dinosaurs on the western continent were called Laramidia and they were almost identical to the ones in Asia. However, very few animal fossils from the eastern 'lost continent' of Appalachia have been found due to heavy vegetation. Thus, it is difficult to excavate fossils in that region.

Longrich was able to identify the horned dinosaur fossil which was kept at the Peabody Museum at Yale University. He found that the fossil belonged to the Ceratopsia family, which is a species of horned dinosaurs.

This study identifies one of the first fossils from a ceratopsian dinosaur that roamed the eastern North American continent. The Ceratopsia were a plant-eating horned type of dinosaurs and they lived during the Cretaceous period.

"At the time, many land masses, eastern North America, Europe, Africa, South America, India, and Australia were isolated by water," Longrich said. "Each one of these island continents would have evolved its own unique dinosaurs, so there are probably many more species out there to find."

The findings of this study were published in the journal Cretaceous Research.

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