"The First
Wrinkle Face"
Illustration © Todd Marshall
Type: theropod
Age: 95 million
years old
Length: 24 feet
Height
at hip: 8 feet
Discovery
site: Niger,
Africa
Notes:
The fossil
skull of Rugops was
discovered in 2000 by a team led by Project Exploration
Co-founder and President, and National Geographic
Explorer-in-Residence, Dr. Paul Sereno.
Rugops helps fill in
critical gaps in the evolution of carnivorous
dinosaurs on Africa. The skull of Rugops had a tough covering of scales or surface armor
and the bones were riddled with arteries and veins.
Rugops may have been a scavenger.
Press
Releases:
Chicago
Park District Press Release
(Requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader)
National
Geographic Press Release
(Requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader)
Learn more about Rugops at Project Exploration's web site. |
