Scientists Unearth Remains Of A Predatory Dinosaur In ...( nosaurus rex. This finding is...)

"This finding is significant for understanding global distributions of dinosaurs because Majungatholus was previously the only pachycephalosaur reported from the southern hemisphere," Sampson says.

Preliminary studies of Majungatholus suggest it had a total body length of 7 to 9 meters and was the top predator of the time on Madagascar, likely feeding on the massive long-necked sauropod dinosaurs also found there.

Majungatholus had a very unusual bone structure and facial features that the researchers suspect were used to send visual signals to attract potential mates or threaten potential enemies. Its facial bones were rough and wrinkled and it had a bony bump above its eye sockets. The bump likely was covered with some sort of epidermal horn, perhaps similar to the horn on a rhinoceros.

"This skull is weird and wonderful -- and ugly," Sampson says. "The face of Majungatholus may well have appealed to members of the opposite sex, but not from any other species!"

The structure of its lower jaw suggests it had an intramandibular joint that allowed movement within the lower jaw. This type of joint would have made it easier for Majungatholus to chew its food, and is similar to joints found in some modern-day birds, lizards and snakes.

"This skull will provide us with a lot of information about muscles, blood vessels and other tissues that is difficult to get from other, poorly preserved fossils," Witmer says. "But we'll learn even more by comparing Majungatholus to similar modern-day animals, which is true for all studies of extinct species."

Scientists found the 65 to 70 million-year-old Majungatholus fossils in an area about 25 miles from Mahajanga, one of Madagascar's largest cities. They first discovered pieces of the animal's tail and found its skull several days later.

"We were initially disappointed when discovery of the tail did not immediately lead to discov
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Contact: Kelli Whitlock
kwhitlock1@ohiou.edu
740-593-0383
Ohio University
15-May-1998