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Armadura extrema en el anquilosaurio más antiguo del mundo
Susannah C R Maidment1,2, Driss Ouarhache3, Kawtar Ech-Charay3
1Fossil Reptiles, Amphibians and Birds Section, Natural History Museum, London, UK. susannah.maidment@nhm.ac.uk.
Nature
|August 27, 2025
Resumen
Un nuevo Spicomellus afer fósil revela una armadura única y un arma de cola, empujando hacia atrás la evolución del club de cola de los anquilosaurios hasta el Jurásico Medio. Este descubrimiento arroja luz sobre la evolución temprana de los dinosaurios blindados.
Área de la Ciencia:
- Paleontología
- Paleontología de los vertebrados
- La evolución de los dinosaurios
Sus antecedentes:
- La evolución temprana de los dinosaurios anquilosaurios blindados durante el Jurásico Temprano y Medio se entiende mal debido a la limitada evidencia fósil.
- Descubrimientos anteriores, como el Spicomellus afer de Marruecos, se basaron en escasos restos, dejando su posición evolutiva incierta.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Para describir un espécimen nuevo y más completo de Spicomellus afer.
- Para confirmar las afinidades con los anquilosaurios de Spicomellus afer.
- Para investigar la historia evolutiva de la armadura dérmica de los anquilosaurios y el desarrollo de armas de cola.
Principales métodos:
- Excavación paleontológica y recuperación de muestras.
- Descripción anatómica detallada y análisis comparativo de los restos fósiles.
- Análisis filogenético para determinar las relaciones evolutivas.
Principales resultados:
- El nuevo espécimen de Spicomellus afer exhibe una armadura dérmica excepcionalmente elaborada, distinta de cualquier vertebrado conocido.
- La presencia de vértebras de "manejo" en la cola indica la existencia de un arma de cola, anterior a las ocurrencias previamente conocidas en los anquilosaurios.
- Este hallazgo desafía la línea de tiempo establecida para la evolución del club de la cola en los anquilosaurios, lo que sugiere un origen anterior en el Cretácico Temprano.
Conclusiones:
- Spicomellus afer poseía una armadura única y adornada posiblemente utilizada para exhibición y defensa.
- La evolución temprana de las armas de cola en los anquilosaurios se confirma en el Jurásico Medio.
- La reducción de la armadura en los anquilosaurios posteriores puede reflejar cambios en las estrategias defensivas o los comportamientos sociales.
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