Unleashing the “dragon”

Many of you may still remember the amazing 100-million-year-old nodosaur found in Alberta, Canada, that resembled a dragon (if you have spent the last 3 months in a bunker, you may want to check this link http://bit.ly/2ujChCO).

The spectacular fossilized remains were once an herbivore dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous and was quickly buried under the muddy seabed of an ancient sea after its death. Although this dinosaur was quite unfortunate, these conditions were auspicious to preserve the nodosaur with an incredible detail where we can not only see its bones, but also stomach content and armor with a three-dimensional shape, which is quite uncommon, since fossils are usually preserved flattened.

Our beautiful “dragon” is news once again, because a few more details were revealed in a study that established that the nodosaur is a representative of a newfound genus and species. This incredible creature now has a name: Borealopelta markmitchelli. Preparator Mark Mitchell spent the last years (and I remember you that the nodosaur was found in 2011) removing the hard rock neighboring the dinosaur’s remains and hence the species name.

According to researchers, the analysis of the thin film of organic material indicates that the nodosaur was ginger on top. On the other hand, no evidence of that same film was found underneath the animal, which suggests that the animal had a pale belly. Scientists believe that this red and white pattern camouflage indicates that the nodosaur’s armor and spikes were not sufficient to keep away predators. Today, we can also see this type of countershading camouflage in other animals such as sharks and gazelles, on which the animal’s coloration is darker on the upperside and lighter underneath (this makes it harder for animals to spot another creature).

Considering that some predators (such as the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex) are thought by some scientists to be merely scavengers (and this is still an ongoing debate), this need for a camouflage could indicate that those predators were actively hunting nodosaurs, since their armor and spikes were not enough to keep predators at a distance.

I guess this makes you think of how scary the Cretaceous period was if an animal with roughly 3,000 pounds, armor and spikes needed some extra help from a camouflage.

Other scientists are not so convinced about the conclusions of this first study, since the tests made only allowed the discovery of traces of chemicals that are assumed to be left behind when a certain pigment breaks down. To this day, we know very little about how soft tissues (and colors) are preserved and scientists argue that it is possible that the compounds associated with the ginger coloration (pheomelanin) came from other substances in or on the nodosaur that broke down during the fossilization process. Also, the preserved skin was not found underneath the animal, so it is hard to say if the underbelly had, or not, ginger pigmentation.

Either way, this is the first study made to the nodosaur’s coloration. This remarkable specimen is at display for everyone to see in the Royal Tyrrell Museum and for researchers to study. This way, we can expect different points of view from upcoming studies that will provoke debates regarding our beloved “dragon”. Whatever the results, nothing changes the fact this this is one of the most amazing fossil discoveries ever made and I cannot express enough how this specimen is so beautiful to look at. Just. Beautiful.

Su

Sources: http://bit.ly/2upEt76http://bit.ly/2hAM5CJhttp://on.natgeo.com/2ugQEIk

Photo credits: http://bit.ly/2upEt76 - photos by Robert Clark/National Geographic http://bit.ly/2hAM5CJi - illustration by Julius Csotonyi/Courtesy of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology