Morocco adds a new duckbill dinosaur to its roster with the discovery of Taleta taleta
A recent paleontological study has added another piece to the puzzle of hadrosaurid dinosaurs, plant-eating dinosaurs famous for their flat, duck-like snouts, in Morocco with the discovery of a new species. This new piece is Taleta taleta, a duckbill dinosaur believed to have lived in what is now Morocco around 66 million years ago.
Two associated jawbones of Taleta taleta were discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, a phosphate sedimentary basin near the city of Khouribga, according to a paper published in Gondwana Research by University of Bath paleontologist Nicholas Longrich and colleagues from Spain, France, and Morocco.
This discovery strengthens the evidence that a group of lambeosaurine hadrosaurids, a subgroup of duckbills characterized by hollow crests, successfully dispersed into North Africa from Europe near the end of the Cretaceous, around 66 million years ago.
Morocco is now home to at least three known lambeosaurine species: Ajnabia odysseus, Minqaria bata, and the newly identified Taleta taleta. Their coexistence suggests these dinosaurs underwent significant adaptive radiation, rapid diversification to fill different ecological niches, after arriving in Africa.
Although Taleta belongs to the same family as the two previously discovered lambeosaurine hadrosaurids, some differences emerge. «Taleta, known from two associated maxillae, differs from Ajnabia and Minqaria by several unique features: a dorsally positioned ectopterygoid ridge, a straight tooth row, large obliquely oriented maxillary tooth crowns, and a prominent primary ridge on the maxillary teeth», the researchers explained.
«Remarkably, this specimen cannot be referred to either Ajnabia or Minqaria. Instead, it represents a third genus and species», Longrich emphasized.
The discovery also sheds light on the geological context of the Ouled Abdoun Basin phosphates. «The phosphates of the Ouled Abdoun Basin consist of a series of phosphatic sands, marls, and limestones deposited in a shallow marine environment at a time when the North Atlantic extended inland, covering much of present-day Morocco», the researchers concluded.
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New Duck-Billed Dinosaur Species Discovered in Central Morocco
Rabat – In the heart of central Morocco, near the phosphate-rich lands of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, scientists have uncovered a new species of duck-billed dinosaur that deepens our understanding of life just before the extinction of the dinosaurs. Named Taleta taleta, this plant-eating creature once roamed the region some 66 million years ago, during the final moments of the Cretaceous period. The discovery, published in Gondwana Research, introduces the third known hadrosaurid species found in Morocco, following Ajnabia odysseus and Minqaria bata. The name Taleta, meaning 'three' in Arabic, reflects its place in this growing lineage. But this new find is more than a numerical addition, it tells a broader story about biodiversity, survival, and movement in a world on the verge of transformation. Fossils of Taleta taleta, unearthed from ancient phosphate deposits, include two partial jawbones that reveal significant differences from its relatives. The species had larger teeth and a distinct jaw structure, suggesting it fed on different vegetation. This detail hints at a rapid diversification of hadrosaurids after their arrival in North Africa. Each species appears to have carved out a unique ecological niche. This unexpected variety challenges long-standing assumptions about prehistoric geography. At the time, the Earth resembled a broken map, with shallow seas separating landmasses. A quiet sense of wonder Many researchers believed such fragmentation would trap species within continents. Yet the presence of hadrosaurids in Morocco points to movement across water, possibly from southern Europe during temporary sea retreats or through island chains that once dotted the seascape. Taleta taleta strengthens the idea that dinosaurs found ways to spread and adapt even in a fragmented world. The discovery also carries a quiet sense of wonder. The phosphate beds of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, dusty and dry today, once held thriving ecosystems. They now guard some of the best-preserved fossils from the Late Cretaceous. Every bone pulled from this earth brings a glimpse of a world that vanished long ago. With Taleta taleta, Morocco adds a new voice to the ancient chorus of its prehistoric past. For paleontologists, the find reminds them how much of that history remains buried, waiting, still, to be told. Tags: dinosaursDuck-Billed DinosaurMorocco archeologyMorocco dinosaurs
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4 days ago
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Morocco adds a new duckbill dinosaur to its roster with the discovery of Taleta taleta
A recent paleontological study has added another piece to the puzzle of hadrosaurid dinosaurs, plant-eating dinosaurs famous for their flat, duck-like snouts, in Morocco with the discovery of a new species. This new piece is Taleta taleta, a duckbill dinosaur believed to have lived in what is now Morocco around 66 million years ago. Two associated jawbones of Taleta taleta were discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, a phosphate sedimentary basin near the city of Khouribga, according to a paper published in Gondwana Research by University of Bath paleontologist Nicholas Longrich and colleagues from Spain, France, and Morocco. This discovery strengthens the evidence that a group of lambeosaurine hadrosaurids, a subgroup of duckbills characterized by hollow crests, successfully dispersed into North Africa from Europe near the end of the Cretaceous, around 66 million years ago. Morocco is now home to at least three known lambeosaurine species: Ajnabia odysseus, Minqaria bata, and the newly identified Taleta taleta. Their coexistence suggests these dinosaurs underwent significant adaptive radiation, rapid diversification to fill different ecological niches, after arriving in Africa. Although Taleta belongs to the same family as the two previously discovered lambeosaurine hadrosaurids, some differences emerge. «Taleta, known from two associated maxillae, differs from Ajnabia and Minqaria by several unique features: a dorsally positioned ectopterygoid ridge, a straight tooth row, large obliquely oriented maxillary tooth crowns, and a prominent primary ridge on the maxillary teeth», the researchers explained. «Remarkably, this specimen cannot be referred to either Ajnabia or Minqaria. Instead, it represents a third genus and species», Longrich emphasized. The discovery also sheds light on the geological context of the Ouled Abdoun Basin phosphates. «The phosphates of the Ouled Abdoun Basin consist of a series of phosphatic sands, marls, and limestones deposited in a shallow marine environment at a time when the North Atlantic extended inland, covering much of present-day Morocco», the researchers concluded.
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