The discovery of fossil-covered dinosaur-covered fossils in America

The spiked armored head of a nearly 5-meter dinosaur excavated in Utah, USA, revealed its ancestors from Asia.

Paleontologists were confused when they first excavated fossil-covered fossil dinosaurs in the state of Utah, USA, according to Live Science. The majority of North American armored dinosaurs have a smooth, horn-coated armor around their heads. However, the specimen discovered in Utah has a more Asian-like dinosaur-like spiny head.

The team built the armored dinosaur fossils in Utah.(Video: Live Science).

The new analysis points to the ancestor of an armored dinosaur named Akainacephalus johnsoni who lived 76 million years ago migrating to North America when sea levels between continents were low. The research results are published in the journal PeerJ yesterday.

The team found fossil A. johnsoni at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah in 2008. Although many parts of the 4.8-meter-long dinosaurs are lacking, scientists collected A complete skull, multiple pieces of armor, spinal bones and quadriplegals, the same tail and caudal peduncle are in almost complete condition. Its name is named after volunteer Randy Johnson at Utah's Museum of Natural History, who has worked on preparing the skull.

Dinosaurs encircling Akainacephalus johnsoni have just been discovered.

The species name Akainacephalus describes the typical skull of the dinosaur, which is composed of two words in Greek, "akaina" and "cephalus" meaning "spines" and "head" respectively . They match a branch on an evolutionary tree of an armored dinosaur. They originated in Asia in about 110-125 years ago in the Cretaceous period. Until 76 million years ago, they started appearing in North America.

A. johnsoni's distinctive armor is very similar to Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis in New Mexico state. But although two species are found in the southwestern United States, they appear to be closer to Asian-bound dinosaurs (Saichania and Tarchia) than similar species in North America (Ankylosaurus and Euoplocephalus). The temporary drop in sea level at the Bering land bridge may have allowed Asian armored dinosaurs to migrate to North America in the late Cretaceous period, according to research leader Jelle Wiersma.