NC State University paleontologists involved in Utah dinosaur discovery
A new species of dinosaurs discovered in Utah has North Carolina connections. Paleontologists connected with NC State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences are now piecing together the story.
A dinosaur dig in Utah revealed a previously unknown creature that lived about 100 million years ago, according to Bucky Gates with the NC Department of Natural Resources and NCMNS.
He explained, "during the time of this discovery, there was very little known about the animals that were around in this particular set of rocks."
Lead study author Lindsay Zanno, head of paleontology with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science helped excavate the bones from the Cedar mountain formation in 2014.
It led to a new species called "Iani Smithi." It’s a cousin of the "duck-billed" dinosaurs. Gates says a lower jaw-bone helps to tell its story.
"If you think back to the beginning of dinosaurs, they all started with triangular teeth and these teeth changed to be more oval-shaped and to have specializations for eating plants," said Gates.
He says "Ianni" was much smaller than long-neck dinosaurs. It’s femur bone helps to gauge its size.
"We’re going to give just a ballpark range; we’re looking somewhere on the order of 15 to 20 feet as an adult would be our guess," said Gates.
He understands that children of all backgrounds who visit the museum are deeply inspired by dinosaurs and "Iani Smithi" (pronounced ‘Yah-nee Smith-eye") will surely light their imagination.
"We’re always thinking of ways we can take this information, transfer it to kids, transfer it to teachers to get people more interested in science in general."
He added, "Bringing in these kids, showing them what is happening in this museum really does inspire them for their future careers."
The dinosaur’s genus name "Iani-Smithi" is a reference to the "two-faced" Janus, the Roman god of transitions.
