Get ready to meet a dinosaur with a nose for adventure! A newly described duck-billed dinosaur, unearthed in Mexico, boasts a schnoz that would make even Yoshi from Super Mario World envious. This dino, named *Coahuilasaurus lipani* after the region where it was found and the Lipani Apache tribe that lives there, also has unique tooth-like spikes jutting from the roof of its mouth. These spikes may have been used to eat rough and woody plants in tropical forests 73 million years ago.
Paleontologists initially discovered the partial skull of *C. lipani* in the 1980s in the Parras Basin but initially categorized it as another genus. However, a recent study, published in the journal *Diversity*, took a second look at the fossil, which had been housed in the collections of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Advanced analysis techniques allowed researchers to reclassify the fossil.
Claudia Serrano, lead author of the study and paleontologist at Benemérita Escuela Normal de Coahuila, was present during the initial description of the specimen in 2006. “When we started working on the material again, we decided ‘no, this is different,'” Serrano told Live Science. “We have become much better at describing these things.”
While the partial skull only consists of the dinosaur’s snout, this section of the skull is crucial for differentiating between species, much like a bird’s beak provides clues about the bird as a whole. The sharp angle of *C. lipani’s* snout was key to distinguishing it from other species. The scientists also noted the distinct tooth-like protrusions on the roof of the mouth, which had been overlooked in previous analyses.
These protrusions suggest that *C. lipani* was specialized for consuming tough plants like palms, which thrived in the tropical conditions of the late Cretaceous period when the big-nosed dino lived, about 73 million years ago. Duck-billed dinosaurs, also known as the “cows of the Cretaceous,” would have roamed the forests of Mexico during a time when sea levels were higher and temperatures were warmer.
Serrano estimates that *C. lipani* would have been around 26 feet (8 meters) long, or roughly the size of two sedans. This discovery adds to a growing list of dinosaurs unique to Mexico. Discoveries like *C. lipani* and other Mexico-specific species have begun to overturn the assumption that dinosaur species had wide-ranging territories.
Large animals typically have large ranges – think of the bison that once roamed from Canada to Mexico. However, individual dinosaur species seem to have had relatively small ranges. Differences in climate, geographical barriers, or possibly reproductive patterns may have contributed to their limited ranges, but paleontologists still grapple with understanding why they stayed within a specific area, Serrano noted. This discovery continues to shed light on the fascinating world of dinosaurs and their complex ecological relationships, highlighting the rich and diverse history of life on Earth.
