Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Researchers have discovered a new species of aetosaur, a distant relative of the crocodile which roamed the Earth more than 200 million years ago in one of the most unlikely places: Raleigh, North Carolina.
According to the Jefferson Post, the armor plates were discovered and identified by Dr. Andrew B. Heckert, a professor at the Appalachian State University Department of Geology, and a team of experts from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. They documented the creature as a new genus and species of aetosaur, and named it Gorgetosuchus pekinensis.
“Aetosaurs are an extinct group of reptiles from the Triassic period from the lineage that eventually evolved into crocodiles,” Dr. Heckert, who was lead author of the recently-published paper, told the Asheville Citizen-Times on Saturday. “They were not dinosaurs, but superficially look like some of the much larger armored dinosaurs that would evolve later.”
Mining their own business
The remains were uncovered at a clay-mining operation in the Triassic basins located southwest of Raleigh, and indicate that the creature had a unique ring of armor-type plating around its neck. It’s genus name, Gorgetosuchus, is based on the word “gorget” (a metal neck ring once worn by knights) and “suchus” (the ancient Greek term for crocodile), the newspaper explained.
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The discovery was made after massive boulders had been moved so that miners working at the site could gain easier access to the clay. They were able to see some of the creature’s neck spikes embedded in the Triassic-era rock, and Dr. Heckert said that he initially believed that they were part of the creature’s tail. Closer analysis and 3D printed molds proved otherwise.
“We knew this specimen was spiny, and when we put the pieces together, we saw how some of the armor completely covered the neck,” he said. “North Carolina is typically not on anybody’s list for dinosaurs, even though we’ve been finding Triassic fossils here for the past 100 years.”
From Morocco, which is now modern-day North Carolina
Indeed, while aetosaurs have been found all over the world, this marks the first time their remains have been recovered in the area. The reason, according to reports, is that North Carolina was actually located right next to Morocco when both were part of the massive super-continent known as Pangea. Once Pangea broke up and the land masses started to drift apart, the aetosaur was spread across several of the smaller, newly-formed land masses.
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Most aetosaurs had blunt teeth and are believed to have been plant-eaters, and Gorgetosuchus pekinensis was no exception. The study authors wrote that the newfound fossils included “an associated incomplete anterior carapace, consisting of a total of 19 nearly complete paramedian and lateral osteoderms from the first 10 rows of armor” and some other fragments.
“Although aetosaur fossils have been found in North Carolina before, we were able to show that this particular specimen was distinct from any other known fossils in the world, and were able to assign a scientific name for the new genus and species,” Dr. Heckert told the Jefferson Post.
“This is the first time anyone has named an aetosaur from North Carolina,” he added. “It’s an interesting specimen, because parts of it seem to be very advanced for aetosaurs and parts of it are more primitive… you never do know just what you are going to find.”
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The study was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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