Fona herzogae, a new thescelosaurine from Utah, USA

[Halichoeres]

From the Cenomanian ("middle" or early late Cretaceous of Utah) comes a new thescelosaurid inferred by its setting and anatomy to have been at least a part-time burrower. The name Fona is from the Chamorro language, which is surprising given that the holotype is from Utah, but maybe one of the authors has connections to the Marianas.


scans of the postcranial skeleton in anatomical position


scans of the skull

Open access in The Anatomical Record: https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.25505

[suspsy]

Love the name.

[Faelrin]

Blessed with not one, but two nearly complete ornithischian dinosaurs. Good day.

[Halichoeres]

News release from North Carolina State (where Lindsay Zanno, one of the authors, works): https://news.ncsu.edu/2024/07/life-underground-suited-new-dinosaur-fine/

[DinoToyForum]

That's an impressive digital reconstruction of the skull.

[Halichoeres]

That's an impressive digital reconstruction of the skull.

It really is. And what a strange skull, thescelosaurids weren't really like any other dinosaur!