Pegomastax: New Species of Fanged Plant Eating Dwarf Dinosaur Discovered
Posted on October 3, 2012
Scientists have discovered the fossil of a new species of tiny fanged, plant-eating dinosaur. The housecat-sized dinosaur, named Pegomastax africanus, had 1-inch-long jaws. It lived 200 million years ago. Pegomastax belongs to the heterodontosaurs family of fanged plant-easters.
The species was discovered in a collection of fossils at Harvard University by Paul Sereno, paleontologist and professor at the University of Chicago and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. It had originally been chipped out of the rock in southern Africa in the 1960s.
Sereno says in a release, "Very rare, that a plant-eater like Pegomastax would sport sharp-edged, enlarged canines."
Sereno believes the role of the teeth was likely for self-defense and competition with other mates for males.
In addition to its fangs, Pegomastax also had bizarre porcupine-line bristles. Here is a video that shows the making of the flesh model of the tiny dinosaur. Take a look:
A research paper about Pegomastax is published here in the journal, ZooKeys.