Paleontologists have unearthed a well-preserved cervical vertebra of a medium-sized abelisaurid ceratosaur in the Bahariya Oasis of the Western Desert of Egypt. It represents the first confirmed abelisaurid fossil from the Bahariya Formation and the oldest definitive record of abelisaurids from Egypt and northeastern Africa more generally. Nevertheless, despite the rich and ever-increasing non-avian dinosaur record of Egypt, only highly fragmentary evidence of abelisaurids came to light from this nation and northeastern Africa in general. The new fossil — a well-preserved vertebra from the base of the neck — was recovered in 2016 from the Bahariya Formation in Egypt. First definitive record of Abelisauridae (Theropoda: Ceratosauria) from the Cretaceous Bahariya Formation, Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 08, 2022 20:42 UTC