Early stegosaur fossils may shed light on stegosaurus evolution

Fossil hunters have discovered a dinosaur that has spine-like plates on its back, and they say the find could shed light on the evolution of some of the most famous dinosaurs to roam Earth.

The name Bashanosaurus primitivus is a nod to the ancient name of the region in China in which it was found, and is thought to have lived about 168 million years ago.

The animal has a stocky build, spiked tail, and huge kite-shaped plates on its back, making it an early cousin of the stegosaurus.

The co-author of the study said Bashanosaurus would have looked different.

Bashanosaurus doesn't have the big, flashy plates that stegosaurus has.

Scientists say that the rex may have been three different species.

Bashanosaurus' armour was probably more useful than stegosaurus' armour.

The new specimen has thicker plates that curve at their base, which is different from other stegosaurs. It is not clear if the fossils are from an adult or a juvenile, but it is thought Bashanosaurus was a relatively small size.

The team was able to pin down the age of the stegosaur as volcanic minerals were found above and below the fossilised remains. Bashanosaurus is thought to be the oldest stegosaur yet found in Asia, and it was dated to the Middle Jurassic.

According to Maidment, the latest discovery sheds new light on how the species of stegosaurus evolved.

They must have lost a lot of armour. She said that they developed the big plates and spines, and lots of other niche features of their anatomy.

The discovery of Bashanosaurus and other early stegosaurs in Africa, Argentina and Asia provided insights into the origins of such creatures.

The jury is still out on whether Bashanosaurus supports the idea that stegosaurs emerged in Asia.

Prof Steve Brusatte, who was not involved in the work, said Bashanosaurus gave a glimpse of the earliest evolution of the stegosaurs.

He said that the big stegosaurs evolved from older, smaller ancestors with less gaudy plates and spikes.

The professor at the University of Bristol described the find as a great new discovery.

The new find pushes the age of stegosaurs back a little, and reflects a time of rapid evolution among dinosaurs following the end-Triassic mass extinction event.