NMMNHS Researchers Help Publicize Newly Described Horned Dinosaur Found In New Mexico
NMMNHS News:
Scientists at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) and other institutions have announced a newly described horned dinosaur first discovered near Cuba, New Mexico, and roamed the area 82 million years ago as one of the earliest ceratopsid species, a group known as horned or frilled dinosaurs. Researchers published their find in the journal PalZ (Paläontologische Zeitschrift).
Menefeeceratops sealeyi adds important information to scientists’ understanding of the evolution of ceratopsid dinosaurs. In particular, the discovery sheds light on the centrosaurine subfamily of horned dinosaurs, of which Menefeeceratops is believed to be the oldest member. Its remains offer a clearer picture of the group’s evolutionary path before it went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.
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Menefeeceratops sealeyi adds important information to scientists’ understanding of the evolution of ceratopsid dinosaurs, which are characterized by horns and frills, along with beaked faces. In particular, the discovery sheds light on the centrosaurine subfamily of horned dinosaurs, of which
Menefeeceratops is believed to be the oldest member. Its remains offer a clearer picture of the group’s evolutionary path before it went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.
Steven Jasinski, who recently completed his Ph.D. in Penn’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences, and Peter Dodson of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Penn Arts & Sciences, collaborated on the work, which was led by Sebastian Dalman of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Spencer Lucas and Asher Lichtig of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque were also part of the research team.