When it amount to dinosaurs , you may now recall tooth , jaws , pincer , and the amazing armory of weapons wield by terrifying carnivore . But herbivores did n’t just rock up to the party unarmed ; many had their own raiment of defensive implements of war : triceratops ’ horns , for example , orankylosaurus ' tail club . Now we can add foresighted , tenuous , abrupt porcupine - esque spine that would make any meat - eater think twice , thanks to the newly discoveredBajadasaurus pronuspinax .
B. pronuspinaxis a new species belonging to the Dicraeosauridae family of sauropods – herbivorous quadruped – closely related to the Diplodocidae , famous for their gravid size and long necks and tails . Bajadasaurus roamed the Earth 140 million class ago , at the beginning of the Lower Cretaceous , right in the middle of the sauropod ’ heydey and long before titanosaurs would tramp down this part of the satellite .
discover in Argentine Patagonia by researchers from the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research ( CONICET ) and Maimónides University , in Buenos Aires , this new sample is the most all over skull of a dicraeosaurid yet .
What makes it really particular though is its unusual cervix spine , which seem to point in the wrong instruction . Of the five sleep with species of Dicraeosauridae , Amargasaurus cazauialso has cervix prickle , but they are much smaller , and sharpen rearwards like a porcupine . B. pronuspinaxhas many more spines and they point over its head , some reaching a distance of over a beat .
" The functionality of the long spine in the Dicraeosauridae is still controversial among paleontologists . With the discovery of Bajadasaurus we think that it is possible to shed twinkle on some issues , " first author Pablo Gallina , a investigator at CONICET , said .
In a paper published inScientific Reports , he and his colleagues argue that Bajadasaurus ’ spines were used for defense reaction , as they are made from bone and traverse in keratin , like a rhino saddle horn , which is much tougher and less likely to fracture on impact than bone .
" We believe that the long , pointed spines – extremely prospicient and tenuous – on the cervix and back of Bajadasaurus should wait on to dissuade likely predator . However , we think that if they were only bare bone structures or continue only with hide they could have break or fracture well with a blow or when attacked by other animals , ” Gallinaexplained . “ This leads us to propose that these spines should have been protect by a corneal keratin cocktail dress similar to what happens in the horns of many mammal . ”
They also think that due to the center sockets being near the top of the forefront , allowing the middle to see around and above them , that Bajadasaurus spent much of its time grazing the primer , which could also explicate the commission of the spines : as it bend down , the spines would protect the dinosaur ’s head and vulnerable tenacious neck from being snap or bitten . However , like many process in animals , they may also have had other functions , include regularise heating system and intimate excerpt .
There is still plenty to learn about this less known family of dinosaurs , often in the shadow of their more far-famed relatives , but this new discovery is a great place to depart .
