Duckbilled dinosaurs crossed the oceans to reach Africa, fossil find reveals

THE first fossils of a duckbilled dinosaur have been discovered in Africa, suggesting that dinosaurs crossed oceans to get there.

Researchers discovered the fossils of the new dinosaur, Ajnabia odysseus, in rocks in Morocco dating to the end of the Cretaceous period, 66 million years ago.

Ajnabia was a member of the duckbill dinosaur group – diverse plant-eating reptiles that grew to up to 49ft (15m) long – and was only about 10ft (3m) long.

Duckbills evolved in North America and eventually spread to South America, Asia and Europe.

Africa was an island continent in the Late Cretaceous period and isolated by deep seaway, so it had seemed impossible for duckbill dinosaurs to get there.

Dr Nicholas Longrich, of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, said discovering the new fossil in a mine a few hours from Casablanca was “about the last thing in the world you would expect”.

“It was completely out of place, like finding a kangaroo in Scotland. Africa was completely isolated by water – so how did they get there?” Dr Longrich said.

“Sherlock Holmes said, once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

“It was impossible to walk to Africa. These dinosaurs evolved long after continental drift split the continents, and we have no evidence of land bridges.

“The geology tells us Africa was isolated by oceans.

“If so, the only way to get there is by water.”

The study is published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research.