New Duck-Billed Dinosaur Species Found in Canada

Paleontologists in southern Alberta, Canada identified a new genus and species of lambeosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur, Plesiolophus warnerensis, dating back 77 million years. The fossil, consisting of a skull roof and braincase, was discovered near Warner and represents the first diagnostic adult lambeosaurine from the Oldman Formation, a layer previously yielding limited hadrosaurid fossils.

Researchers determined Plesiolophus warnerensis is an early member of the parasaurolophin lineage, displaying both ancestral traits and characteristics linking it to Parasaurolophus. The team conducted a phylogenetic analysis comparing the new species to 87 others to establish its place in the evolutionary tree.

The discovery provides insight into the early evolution of duck-billed dinosaurs in North America and suggests Plesiolophus warnerensis may be an ancestor to Parasaurolophus. Further research could clarify the relationship and the development of the elaborate crests seen in later parasaurolophins.