A new study found that the primitive relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex had bulldog-like snouts and shorter arms. The research offers new insights about the end of the dinosaur period in Africa based on fossils recently discovered close to Casablanca, Morocco.

The recently identified dinosaur species belong to the Abelisauridae subfamily of carnivorous dinosaurs, which include the famous tyrannosaurs of the Northern Hemisphere, per NonStop Local.  These giant animals lived during the late Cretaceous era and provide a glimpse into the varied world of African dinosaurs right before the global extinction catastrophe around 66 million years ago.

What Were the Newly Discovered Species?

The first dinosaur species, represented by a foot bone found near Sidi Daoui, was around 2.5 meters (eight feet) long. The second species, discovered around Sidi Chennane, had a shin bone from a carnivore that was an astonishing five meters (15 feet) in length. The journal Cretaceous Research has published the comprehensive results.

Surprisingly, both species coexisted alongside Chenanisaurus barbaricus, a considerably bigger abelisaur. The variety of dinosaur species found in Morocco proves that the area was home to many of these extinct animals right before a massive asteroid impact brought about the end of the Cretaceous epoch.

Dr. Nick Longrich, chief researcher at Bath's Milner Centre for Evolution, was amazed by the discovery. According to Science Daily, the expert pointed out that the fossils were placed in unexpected locations for dinosaur remains since they were placed next to a shallow, tropical sea, home to plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, and sharks.

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Despite the fact that there were few dinosaur remains in the area, Morocco's plethora of fossils has allowed scientists to get a previously unheard-of look at how the dinosaur period in Africa ended. The paleontologists' continued discoveries of remains and species exhibit the enormously diverse dinosaur fauna.

Ajnabia, a tiny dinosaur with a duckbill, a long-necked titanosaur, Chenanisaurus, a large abelisaur, and the two recently found abelisaurs are among the species now recognized that once existed on Earth.

Rewriting the History of Dinosaurs

The findings cast doubt on widely held beliefs about the fall of dinosaurs before the global extinction catastrophe. With the recent discovery of the Moroccan fossils, experts now consider that dinosaurs in North Africa thrived until the end of the Cretaceous period.

Dr. Longrich noted that this area represents only a tiny portion of the earth. The Moroccan fossils provide insight into the complicated dynamics of dinosaur populations during their last chapter, showing that some dinosaurs remained at lower latitudes as temperatures got colder.

The study's co-author, Nour-Eddine Jalil, a professor at the Natural History Museum and a researcher at the Universite Cadi Ayyad in Morocco, emphasized the importance of these results. He emphasized that, although rare, dinosaur remains share the same message as more numerous marine reptile remains, that biodiversity in the period leading up to the Cretaceous-Paleogene crisis was not in decline but rather diversified.

"When T. rex reigned as a mega predator in North America, abelisaurs sat at the top of the food chains in North Africa," the expert said, as quoted by Phys.org.

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