Paleontologists have arrived at the conclusion that a particular type of dinosaur footprints discovered in parts of western Canada probably belong to ankylosaurid ankylosaurs. This suggests that the previously unknown armoured creature existed in the region nearly 100 million years ago.
Firstly, the newly found footprints indicated only three toes on each hind foot of the creature. This characteristic led to the species being categorised as ankylosaurid ankylosaurs, instead of nodosaurid ankylosaurs, which sported four toes on each rear foot.
Secondly, unlike the nodosaurid ankylosaurs, the three-toed creature had a tail that was rigid. The nodosaurid members of the ankylosaurian family, on the other hand, had a flexible tail that could be swung. This put them at a relative disadvantage over the ankylosaurid ankylosaurs when it came to fending off larger dinosaurs.
Until the discovery of the aforementioned footprints, all the ankylosaur foot tracks found across North America showed four toes on the back feet. Since paleontologists were unable to match them to an already-known species on the basis of the types of bones, they resorted to coming up with an ichnospecies, and named it "Tetrapodosaurus borealis".
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The analysis revealed that the footprints date back to the mid-Cretaceous period. It came as a breakthrough since paleontologists until then believed that ankylosaurids had already disappeared in that time period. The earlier speculation was based on the fact that no ankylosaurids fossils from the said period were ever discovered in North America.
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FAQs
1 What time period did ankylosaurus inhabit North America?
Ankylosaurus are known to have inhabited present-day North America during the Late Cretaceous Period.
2 . Which provinces of Canada witnessed the discovery of ankylosaurid ankylosaurs?
The first-ever footprints of ankylosaurid ankylosaurs were found in Canada's British Columbia and Alberta provinces.
Dinosaur footprints found in British Columbia and Alberta
The footprints in question were found in both British Columbia and Alberta. They were phenomenal in the sense that the samples represented the first-ever discovery of ankylosaurid ankylosaur footprints.How were the footprints unique?
Though the foot tracks bore resemblance with that of the ankylosaurus, which were already known to have inhabited present-day North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, the newly discovered footprints were unique in two ways.Firstly, the newly found footprints indicated only three toes on each hind foot of the creature. This characteristic led to the species being categorised as ankylosaurid ankylosaurs, instead of nodosaurid ankylosaurs, which sported four toes on each rear foot.
Secondly, unlike the nodosaurid ankylosaurs, the three-toed creature had a tail that was rigid. The nodosaurid members of the ankylosaurian family, on the other hand, had a flexible tail that could be swung. This put them at a relative disadvantage over the ankylosaurid ankylosaurs when it came to fending off larger dinosaurs.
Until the discovery of the aforementioned footprints, all the ankylosaur foot tracks found across North America showed four toes on the back feet. Since paleontologists were unable to match them to an already-known species on the basis of the types of bones, they resorted to coming up with an ichnospecies, and named it "Tetrapodosaurus borealis".
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Ankylosaurid ankylosaurs: Paleontological breakthrough
The footprints at the center of the paleontological breakthrough were observed by Charles Helm, scientific advisor at the Tumbler Ridge Museum, for several years. The ankylosaur track was found near Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Helm eventually decided to invite Victoria Arbour, the paleontology curator at the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) for help in identifying and interpreting the trackways in 2023. A group of other experts, too, helped in the analysis.The analysis revealed that the footprints date back to the mid-Cretaceous period. It came as a breakthrough since paleontologists until then believed that ankylosaurids had already disappeared in that time period. The earlier speculation was based on the fact that no ankylosaurids fossils from the said period were ever discovered in North America.
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FAQs
1 What time period did ankylosaurus inhabit North America?
Ankylosaurus are known to have inhabited present-day North America during the Late Cretaceous Period.
2 . Which provinces of Canada witnessed the discovery of ankylosaurid ankylosaurs?
The first-ever footprints of ankylosaurid ankylosaurs were found in Canada's British Columbia and Alberta provinces.
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