Today, their fossils are discovered on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.Significant Discovery in Aetosaur ResearchScientists use the bony plates that make up aetosaur armor to determine different types and generally do not have many fossil skeletons to work with.” The research study was released in The Anatomical Record.Reyes and his partners utilized the armor to determine the specimen as a brand-new aetosaur types– which they named Garzapelta muelleri. The name “Garza” acknowledges Garza County in northwest Texas, where the aetosaur was discovered, and “Pelta” is Latin for guard, a nod to aetosaurs greatly prepared body. Armor that ran down its back looked like armor from one types, while its stomach spikes resembled armor from another.Once the researchers identified that the spikes developed individually, they were able to work out where Garzapelta fit best among other aetosaur species.” Convergence of the osteoderms across distantly associated aetosaurs has been kept in mind before, but the carapace of Garzapelta muelleri is the best example of it and shows to what level it can take place and the issues it triggers in our phylogenetic analyses,” Reyes said.A theoretical reconstruction of the aetosaur Garzapelta muelleri, as seen from above, based on fossilized carapace remains in the Texas Tech vertebrate collections.
An artists analysis of the newly identified aetosaur Garzapelta mueller. Credit: Márcio L. CastroResearchers determined a brand-new aetosaur species, Garzapelta muelleri, offering insights into the Triassic eras armored creatures and the challenges of deciphering their evolutionary history.Dinosaurs get all the magnificence. Aetosaurs, a greatly armored cousin of modern-day crocodiles, ruled the world before dinosaurs did. These tanks of the Triassic can be found in a range of sizes and shapes before going extinct around 200 million years ago. Today, their fossils are found on every continent other than Antarctica and Australia.Significant Discovery in Aetosaur ResearchScientists use the bony plates that comprise aetosaur armor to determine various species and generally do not have numerous fossil skeletons to work with. But a brand-new study led by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin centers on an aetosaur fit of armor that has many of its huge parts undamaged. The match– called a carapace– has to do with 70% complete and covers each major region of the body.An artists interpretation of the recently identified aetosaur Garzapelta muelleri (spiked reptile in mid- ground on right) and other ancient reptiles, amphibians, and mammal family members. The artwork appears on the cover of a special concern of the Anatomical Record devoted to Triassic animals. Credit: Marcio L. Castro.” We have aspects from the back of the neck and shoulder region all the method to the pointer of the tail,” said William Reyes, a doctoral trainee at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences who led the research study. “Usually, you find extremely restricted material.” The research study was released in The Anatomical Record.Reyes and his partners used the armor to identify the specimen as a new aetosaur types– which they named Garzapelta muelleri. The name “Garza” recognizes Garza County in northwest Texas, where the aetosaur was found, and “Pelta” is Latin for shield, a nod to aetosaurs greatly fortified body. The types name “muelleri” honors the paleontologist who initially found it, Bill Mueller.William Reyes, a doctoral student at the Jackson School of Geosciences, takes a look at an aetosaur specimenon display screen at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Credit: William ReyesGarzapelta: A New Species UnveiledGarzapelta lived about 215 million years earlier and looked like a modern American crocodile– but with much more armor.” Take a crocodile from modern, and turn it into an armadillo,” stated Reyes.The bony plates that covered Garzapelta and other aetosaurs are called osteoderms. They were embedded directly in the skin and formed a suit of armor by fitting together like a mosaic. In addition to having a body covered in bony plates, Garzapeltas sides were flanked by curved spikes that would have used another layer of security from predators. Although crocodiles today are predators, scientists think that aetosaurs were primarily omnivorous.A bony plate of armor called an osteoderms from the trunk area of Garzapelta muelleri. Leading image is the osteoderm as seen from above. The bottom image is the osteoderm seen from the side. Scale bar is 5 centimeters. Credit: William ReyesInsights Into Evolutionary BiologyThe surges on Garzapelta are really similar to those discovered in another aetosaur species, however remarkably, scientists found that the 2 types are just distantly related. The similarities, they found, are an example of convergent evolution, the independent development of similar traits in various types. The development of flight in insects, birds, mammals and now-extinct pterosaurs is a classic example of this phenomenon.According to Reyes, an array of distinct features on Garzapeltas plates clearly marked it as a new species. They vary from how the plates mesh to distinct bumps and ridges on the bones. Figuring out where Garzapelta fit into the larger aetosaur family tree was more of challenge. Depending upon which part of the armor the researchers highlighted in their analysis, Garzapelta would wind up in extremely different places. Armor that ran down its back looked like armor from one species, while its belly spikes resembled armor from another.Once the scientists identified that the spikes progressed separately, they were able to exercise where Garzapelta fit best amongst other aetosaur types. Nevertheless, Reyes said the research study demonstrates how convergent development can make complex things.” Convergence of the osteoderms throughout distantly related aetosaurs has been noted before, but the carapace of Garzapelta muelleri is the finest example of it and shows to what level it can happen and the issues it triggers in our phylogenetic analyses,” Reyes said.A hypothetical restoration of the aetosaur Garzapelta muelleri, as seen from above, based on fossilized carapace remains in the Texas Tech vertebrate collections. The reconstruction is pictured with examples of its plated and surged armor in cross-section. Credit: Jeffrey MartzMuseum Collections and Ongoing ResearchGarzapelta becomes part of the Texas Tech University fossil collections. It spent many of the previous 30 years on a shelf before Reyes experienced it throughout a visit. Expense Parker, an aetosaur professional and park paleontologist at Petrified Forest National Park who was not part of the research, said that university and museum collections are a crucial part of making this type of research possible.” These specimens werent just dug in the field the other day,” he said. “Theyve been being in the museum for decades and it simply takes somebody like Will to come along and finally choose to study them and make them come to life.” In addition to various species having different armor, its possible that an animals age or sex might also impact armor look. Reyes is presently exploring these questions by studying aetosaur fossils in the Jackson Schools collection, the majority of which were discovered throughout the 1940s as part of excavations done by the Works Progress Administration.Reference: “Garzapelta muelleri gen. et sp. nov., a brand-new aetosaur (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Late Triassic (middle Norian) middle Cooper Canyon Formation, Dockum Group, Texas, USA, and its implications on our understanding of the morphological disparity of the aetosaurian dorsal carapace” by William A. Reyes, Jeffrey W. Martz and Bryan J. Small, 11 January 2024, The Anatomical Record.DOI: 10.1002/ ar.25379 The research was moneyed by the National Science Foundation and the Jackson School.The study co-authors are Jeffrey Martz, an associate professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, and Bryan Small, a research partner at the Museum of Texas Tech University..