A newly identified dinosaur, called Pegomastax africanus, or "thick jaw from Africa," was unveiled today. The cat-sized dinosaur was discovered in a 200-million-year-old red rock from South African, Discovery News reported.
Despite its piercing self-sharpening fangs, Pegomastax is believed to have been a plant eater and not a carnivore. The two-foot long pint-sized dinosaur had 1-inch-long jaws with a short beak in front and a pair of piercing canine teeth, reported Discovery News.
Paul Sereno, author of the study regarding the find in the journal ZooKeys, spoke to Discovery News about the dinosaur's appearance and defense. "I think the bristles would have made it look at least a little bigger than it was-perhaps they couple poke our more strongly when excited," he said.
The University of Chicago paleontologist and professor added, "The main defense would be speed of escape. These were very long-legged fast critters. [They could inflict] a nipping bite if cornered, using the fangs much like a peccary or fanged deer."
According to Discovery News, Sereno studied the remains, which were part of a collection of fossils at Harvard University, and later identified is as a heterodontosaur. Heterodontosaurs are a group of herbivores divided into two species: northern with simple triangular teeth and southern with taller tooth crowns.
Sereno told Discovery News that he believes Pegomastax was better adapted to pluck fruit or rooting for food than for eating other dinosaurs. The paleontologist added, "These plant-eaters are among the very oldest we know from the bird-hipped side of the dinosaur tree. They started out small, and some of them got a bit smaller to be among the smallest dinosaurs we know."
Sereno's discovery, while not unique, offers a better understanding of heterodontosaurs. Hans-Dieter Sues, a vertebrate paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., told National Geographic News, "[Sereno's] comprehensive review of the entire group of these odd little dinosaurs is a landmark contribution."
WATCH THE HEAD RECONSTRUCTION OF THE PEGOMASTAX AFRICANUS
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