Known as the Ziapelta sanjuanensis , researchers said the novel species offers fresh insights into the evolution and diversity of some of the oldest inhabitants of the state.
Spencer G. Lucas, curator of paleontology and geology at the museum, said the Ziapelta fossils were found in the Kirtland formation at Hunter Wash, an area in the San Juan Basin located in northeastern New Mexico.
The name Ziapelta or “sunshield” refers to the animal’s New Mexican roots and its armor plating, Lucas said.
The 73-million-year-old fossils represent a new form of armored dinosaur previously unknown in the late Cretaceous, he said.
Although only the skull and collarbone were recovered, Lucas said researchers were able to speculate what it might have looked like by comparing it to similar fossils of known dinosaurs. Its closest relative is the Ankylosaurus, another armored herbivore known to occupy areas of northern Montana and southern Alberta in Canada.
“This is the only known individual right now so this is a unique fossil,” Lucas said. “But the fact that its closest relatives are in Canada suggests there was some sort of genetic flow across the continent.”
Robert M. Sullivan, a fellow museum researcher who had been working on a joint expedition with Lucas at the time, found Ziapelta’s bones in July 2011, Lucas said.
At the time, they had no idea they were looking at a new species. However, Lucas said once they unearthed the fossils and analyzed them in their lab, they knew it was something special.
“Once it had been cleaned, it was clear that the configuration of the armored plates and the shape of the horns were different than any known dinosaur,” Lucas said. “At that point we knew we had something new.”
Prior to the discovery of Ziapelta, these types of dinosaurs had never been found south of Montana and were thought to exist only in the northernmost regions of the continent. However, this new fossil evidence proves otherwise, he said.
Ziapelta’s skull is currently on display in the atrium of the museum next to the robotic T-Rex. Lucas said it would remain on display at least until the end of the year.
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Amanda Cantrell, geoscience collections manager, said the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science holds the largest fossil archive in the state and is home to more than 100,000 unique catalogue entries with many species found only in New Mexico.
Cantrell manages the fossil archives across the street from the museum and said 99 percent of the fossils they keep were discovered in state.
“This is New Mexico’s fossil collection,” Cantrell said. “We have stuff from all over the state, basically anything that is really cool ends up in this room.”
A UNM alumna and a Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences member, Cantrell said having the opportunity to analyze fossil evidence of ancient animals is, to her, simply amazing.
Lucas, also a UNM alumnus, said the museum’s archive is essentially a library of fossils and encourages everyone to come see what they have to offer.
“We have a tremendous natural heritage here in New Mexico,” Lucas said. “We offer this new scientific knowledge that comes right out of the ground here in this state, and it’s something that we offer to humans as a civilization.”
Tomas Lujan is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @TomasVLujan.
