Aquilarhinus

Ah-kwil-a-wy-nus.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Aquilarhinus ‭(‬eagle snout‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ah-kwil-a-wy-nus.

Named By

Albert Prieto-M�rquez,‭ ‬Jonathan R.‭ ‬Wagner‭ & ‬Thomas Lehman‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ Hadrosauridae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬palimentus‭

Size

Unknown.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Texas‭ ‬-‭ ‬Aguja Formation.

Time Period

Late‭ (‬Lower Campanian‭?) ‬Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull and post cranial skeleton.

In Depth

       Aquilarhinus named for the perceived appearance of the snout which in life is thought to resemble the hooked bend of an eagles beak,‭ ‬suggesting‭ ‬Aquilarhinus may have had a specialised feeding method.‭ ‬Study of the lower jaw has led to a postulated reconstruction of front of the jaws having a rounded shovel-like structure.‭ Hadrosaurs are known for having hard keratinous beaks,‭ ‬hence their nicknames of duck-billed dinosaurs,‭ ‬the shovel like appearance of the‭ ‘‬beak‭’ ‬of Aquilarhinus may suggest a different feeding method than most other known hadrosaurs,‭ ‬perhaps even a focus upon a specific type of plant.‭

Further Reading

-‭ ‬An unusual‭ ‘‬shovel-billed‭’ ‬dinosaur with trophic specializations from the early Campanian of Trans-Pecos Texas,‭ ‬and the ancestral hadrosaurian crest.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Albert Prieto-M�rquez,‭ ‬Jonathan R.‭ ‬Wagner‭ & ‬Thomas Lehman‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019.

Adopt A Species
prehistoric-wildlife new logo

Love this species?

Adopt it today!

(UPDATED!)

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT