Maxilla of Ajnabia odysseus from the late Maastrichtian of Morocco
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Dinosauria
Clade:
†Ornithischia
Clade:
†Ornithopoda
Family:
†Hadrosauridae
Subfamily:
†Lambeosaurinae
Tribe:
†Arenysaurini
Genus:
†Ajnabia Longrich et al., 2021
Type species
†Ajnabia odysseus
Longrich et al., 2021
Ajnabia (meaning "stranger" or "foreigner") is a genus of lambeosaurine hadrosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Morocco. It is the first definitive hadrosaur from Africa, and is thought to be related to European dinosaurs like Arenysaurus.[1] The discovery of Ajnabia came as a surprise to the paleontologists who found it, because Africa was isolated by water from the rest of the world during the Cretaceous, such that hadrosaurs were assumed to have been unable to reach the continent.[2][3]Ajnabia is relatively small and similar in size to its contemporary relative Minqaria, which is estimated to have reached 3.5 metres (11 ft) in total body length.[4] Assuming that the holotype represents an adult, Ajnabia would be one of the smallest if not the smallest known hadrosaurids.
^Longrich, Nicholas R.; Suberbiola, Xabier Pereda; Pyron, R. Alexander; Jalil, Nour-Eddine (2021). "The first duckbill dinosaur (Hadrosauridae: Lambeosaurinae) from Africa and the role of oceanic dispersal in dinosaur biogeography". Cretaceous Research. 120: 104678. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104678. S2CID 228807024.
^Southworth, Phoebe (November 5, 2020). "Dinosaurs swam across oceans, landmark study reveals" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
^"New fossil discovery suggests dinosaurs traveled across oceans". www.msn.com.
^Longrich, N. R.; Pereda-Suberbiola, X.; Bardet, N.; Jalil, N.-E. (2024). "A new small duckbilled dinosaur (Hadrosauridae: Lambeosaurinae) from Morocco and dinosaur diversity in the late Maastrichtian of North Africa". Scientific Reports. 14. 3665. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9. PMC 10864364.
Ajnabia (meaning "stranger" or "foreigner") is a genus of lambeosaurine hadrosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Morocco. It is the first...
of 250 kilograms (550 lb), similar in size to its contemporary relative Ajnabia. Since the braincase bones are fused, the Minqaria holotype likely belonged...
lineages later dispersed from Europe into North Africa, as evidenced by Ajnabia, a member of Arenysaurini. The family Hadrosauridae was first used by Edward...
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