Angulomastacator
Encyclopedia
Angulomastacator is a genus
of duck-billed
dinosaur
from the Campanian
-age (Late Cretaceous
) Aguja Formation
of Big Bend National Park
, Texas
. It is known from a single specimen, TMM
43681–1, a partial left maxilla
(the main tooth-bearing bone of the upper jaw). This bone is curved down approximately 45° at its anterior
end, with the tooth row bent to fit, unlike any other hadrosaur. The unusual characteristics of the maxilla, which have not been reported from elsewhere, supports the hypothesis that the dinosaurs of the Aguja Formation were endemic forms. It was discovered in the upper shale member of the Aguja Formation, among plant, bone, and clam fragments in a bed interpreted as the deposits of a small tributary channel. This bed is just below rocks of the overlying Javelina Formation
. Volcanic rocks at about the same level have been dated to 76.9 ± 1.2 million years ago.
Angulomastacator is classified as a lambeosaurine
, the group of hadrosaurs with hollow cranial crests. It was described in 2009 by Wagner and Lehman in 2009. The type species
is A. daviesi, named for Kyle L. Davies, who in 1983 was the first to postulate the presence of a lambeosaurine in the Aguja Formation. As a hadrosaurid, Angulomastacator would have been a biped
al/quadrupedal herbivore
, eating plants with sets of ever-replacing teeth stacked on each other.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of duck-billed
Hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurids or duck-billed dinosaurs are members of the family Hadrosauridae, and include ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus. They were common herbivores in the Upper Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia, Europe and North America. They are descendants of the Upper...
dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
-age (Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
) Aguja Formation
Aguja Formation
The Aguja Formation is a geological formation in North America, exposed in Texas, whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-Ammonites:-Crurotarsans:...
of Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It is known from a single specimen, TMM
Texas Memorial Museum
The Texas Memorial Museum is the main exhibit hall of the Texas Natural Science Center at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas, USA....
43681–1, a partial left maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
(the main tooth-bearing bone of the upper jaw). This bone is curved down approximately 45° at its anterior
Anatomical terms of location
Standard anatomical terms of location are designations employed in science that deal with the anatomy of animals to avoid ambiguities that might otherwise arise. They are not language-specific, and thus require no translation...
end, with the tooth row bent to fit, unlike any other hadrosaur. The unusual characteristics of the maxilla, which have not been reported from elsewhere, supports the hypothesis that the dinosaurs of the Aguja Formation were endemic forms. It was discovered in the upper shale member of the Aguja Formation, among plant, bone, and clam fragments in a bed interpreted as the deposits of a small tributary channel. This bed is just below rocks of the overlying Javelina Formation
Javelina Formation
The Javelina Formation is a geological formation in Texas. Dating has shown that the strata date to the mid-late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous, with the middle part of the formation dated to about 69 million years ago plus or minus 1 Ma and the top situated near the K-Pg boundary,...
. Volcanic rocks at about the same level have been dated to 76.9 ± 1.2 million years ago.
Angulomastacator is classified as a lambeosaurine
Lambeosaurinae
Lambeosaurinae is a group of crested hadrosaurid dinosaurs.-Classification:Lambeosaurines have been split into Parasaurolophini and Corythosaurini . Corythosaurini and Parasaurolophini as terms entered the formal literature in Evans and Reisz's 2007 redescription of Lambeosaurus magnicristatus...
, the group of hadrosaurs with hollow cranial crests. It was described in 2009 by Wagner and Lehman in 2009. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is A. daviesi, named for Kyle L. Davies, who in 1983 was the first to postulate the presence of a lambeosaurine in the Aguja Formation. As a hadrosaurid, Angulomastacator would have been a biped
Biped
Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs, or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning "two feet"...
al/quadrupedal herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
, eating plants with sets of ever-replacing teeth stacked on each other.