A newly discovered dinosaur fossil was found in Utah. What makes this finding so incredible is that it’s from a whole new genus of dinosaurs, called Akainacephalus johnsoni. This family of dinosaurs lived in the Cretaceous era
A newly discovered dinosaur fossil was found in Utah. What makes this finding so incredible is that it’s from a whole new genus of dinosaurs, called Akainacephalus johnsoni. This family of dinosaurs lived in the Cretaceous era, sometime between 100 and 66 million years ago. Back in 2008, researchers found smooth-armored fossils in the same area. This one was spiky.
After discovering this new genus, researchers focused on trying to figure out where this new dinosaur would fit into the family tree of Ankylosaurids. A fascinating conclusion, this dinosaur is not related to ankylosaurids found in western North America, but instead are related to Asian ankylosaurids, like Saichania and Tarchia.
New dinosaur alert!
Meet Akainacephalus Johnsoni, a herbivore from Utah. It's 76 million years old, and has bulbus armour across its head.
Ankylosaurid dinosaurs evolved