"Moroccan Discovery: Uncovering Clues to the Extinction of Small Duckbilled Dinosaurs"

A new species of dwarf lambeosaurine hadrosaurid, named Minqaria bata, has been discovered in Moroccan rocks dating back to the Late Cretaceous epoch, around 68 million years ago. This finding challenges previous beliefs about the distribution of hadrosaurids and suggests that duckbills may have swam or rafted to Africa. The discovery also implies a dispersal-driven radiation of hadrosaurids, with lambeosaurines diversifying to take advantage of low ornithischian diversity. The study sheds light on the diversity and evolution of hadrosaurids in Africa and Europe during the Late Cretaceous period.