A new dinosaur species has been discovered in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The fossils found belong to a primitive ceratopsian, a plant-eating beaked dinosaur that lived around 110 million years ago, according to researchers. This newly discovered dinosaur closely resembles its relatives in North America, suggesting that ceratopsians from Asia migrated to North America during the early Cretaceous Period.
The dinosaur, named “Sasayamagnomus saegusai” by the research team, was about 80 centimeters long and weighed around 10 kilograms. Unlike other ceratopsians like triceratops, it did not have a distinctive horn or frill. The fossils were found in the Sasayama Group in Tanbasasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, which dates back to the early Cretaceous Period.
The fossils were first discovered in 2007 by Kiyoshi Adachi, a former high school teacher and amateur geologist, and an excavation project began the following year. Since then, seventeen fossils of Sasayamagnomus saegusai have been unearthed, leading researchers to conclude that it is a new genus and species due to its distinct characteristics.
The findings of this new dinosaur species were published in the British scientific journal Papers in Paleontology on Sept. 3. The researchers noted that the fossils of Sasayamagnomus saegusai are in the best state of preservation among ceratopsians found in Japan. This discovery adds to the rich collection of dinosaur fossils found in the Sasayama Group.
In addition to this new ceratopsian dinosaur, researchers in July announced the discovery of fossils from a new genus and species of a troodontidae, a bird-like bipedal dinosaur, in the same area. Tomonori Tanaka, chief researcher at the Museum of Nature and Human Activities and associate professor at the University of Hyogo, expressed excitement about the potential for more discoveries in the Sasayama Group as research progresses.
The fossils of the ceratopsian dinosaur, Sasayamagnomus saegusai, and related materials will be on display at the museum in Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture, from Sept. 4 to Nov. 10. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity for the public to learn more about this newly discovered dinosaur species and the fascinating world of paleontology.