Tag Archives: Morocco

Ancient 773,000-Year-Old Hominin Fossils from Morocco Shed Light on the Origins of Homo sapiens

Posted on by
Reply

Recent discoveries of hominin fossils in the Thomas Quarry I cave located in Casablanca, Morocco, provide crucial insights into the early origins of homo sapiens. These findings indicate that the lineage leading to modern humans was potentially established in Africa nearly 800,000 years ago. The fossils, although similar in age to the ancestor of homo discovered in Spain, display a mix of primitive and advanced traits reminiscent of post-Eurasian hominins, including homo sapiens.

Reconstruction of homo erectus.

Paleoanthropologists have long debated the origins of Neanderthals and Denisovans, the last common ancestors of modern humans. Genetic studies reveal that this ancestor likely existed between approximately 765,000 and 550,000 years ago, although fossil records are still inconclusive.

While some researchers have posited a Eurasian origin based on fossils unearthed in Atapuerca, Spain, dating back to 950,000 to 770,000 years ago, the new findings from Morocco reinforce the theory of an African origin.

Recent discoveries from the Moroccan cave, including mandible fragments, teeth, vertebrae, and femur pieces, bolster the evidence supporting Africa as the cradle of human evolution.

Analysis of the sediments surrounding these fossils indicates that they date back approximately 773,000 years, coinciding with significant changes in the Earth’s magnetic field, aligning with the era of the ancestor of homo.

Interestingly, the new fossils present distinct morphological differences. The evidence suggests that regional differentiation between Europe and North Africa was already evident by the late Early Pleistocene, spanning from around 1.8 million to 780,000 years ago.

The Moroccan fossils exhibit a blend of primitive features linked to species like homo erectus alongside more modern traits found in homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

For instance, their molar size aligns with earlier homo sapiens fossils, while the jaw shape resembles that of Neanderthals and other African archaic humans.

Although the Moroccan fossil may not serve as the ultimate last common ancestor of modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans, it is likely a close precursor.

“The Moroccan fossils likely represent an advanced form of homo erectus in North Africa, situated on a lineage close to the evolutionary divergence between African and Eurasian lineages,” stated the researchers.

“Our findings underscore the Maghreb region as vital for understanding the emergence of our species and strengthen the argument for an African origin of homo sapiens,” they concluded.

Findings are detailed in a recent study published in Nature.

_____

J.J. Havlin and colleagues. Early human fossils from Morocco and the emergence of homo sapiens. Nature, published online January 7, 2026. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09914-y

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists Unearth Fossils of Armored Spicomeras in Morocco

Posted on by
Reply

“We were astonished by its unusual characteristics and how it differs from other dinosaurs, or even all known living or extinct animals,” stated Richard Butler, co-leader of the project and paleontologist at the University of Birmingham in the UK.

The chance to examine the fossils of Spicomelas was to “sway the spine,” Butler remarked.

It wasn’t only the project participants who were captivated.

“This is genuinely one of the most bizarre and unique dinosaurs I have ever encountered,” said Steve Brusatte, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, who was not part of the research.

“With spikes jutting out across its body, it resembles a kind of reptilian porcupine,” he mentioned on Thursday. “If you were a carnivorous dinosaur from the Jurassic period, you would definitely want to steer clear of this creature.”

Brusatte continued: “This exemplifies how much there is still to uncover. Prior to the discovery of these fossils, there was no indication that such a remarkable animal existed.”

Maidment, another co-leader of the study, emphasized the need for further research in Africa, noting that countries such as Morocco are untapped reservoirs for dinosaur exploration.

“It’s vastly underrepresented compared to other continents,” said a representative from the National Museum of History in London.

Maidment mentioned that the Spicomellus project, which commenced in 2018, encountered numerous challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UK team was set to travel and collaborate with their Moroccan counterparts when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the lockdown, resulting in a postponement of plans until 2022.

In spite of these obstacles, research initiatives have marked significant progress in Moroccan science.

“This research has significantly advanced Moroccan science. I have never encountered a dinosaur like this before. There’s still so much more to discover in this area.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Fossils of Central Jurassic Serapodan Dinosaurs Discovered in Morocco

Posted on by
Reply

A research team from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdela University, the University of Birmingham, and the Museum of Natural History in London has identified a new specimen as the oldest known Serapodan Ornithischian dinosaur.

Proximal femurs of the Serapodan dinosaur from the Elmers III Formation in the Central Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Image credit: Maid et al., doi: 10.1098/rsos.241624.

“Serapod has received significant attention lately,” said Dr. Susanna Maid, a paleontologist at the Museum of Natural History, University of Birmingham.

The early Serapodan, a key player in the Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem, was bipedal and featured hadrosaur-like skeletal structures. In contrast, late Cretaceous forms, including hadrosaurs and ceratopsids, evolved more specialized adaptations.

“Serapodans can be divided into two major clades: Ornithopoda, which encompasses non-hadrosaur Iguanodons and duck-billed Hadrosaurs, and Margin Osephalia, which includes horned and dome-headed species like Pachycephalosaurs.”

“While Serapodans are well-documented from the Cretaceous, their presence in the Jurassic is less established,” the researchers noted.

“Various Jurassic tracksites indicate that sizable ornithopods (likely related to Iguanodon) had emerged by this time, yet body fossils remain scarce.”

“There’s a pressing need for additional specimens from historically underrepresented regions to help clarify the early evolution of Serapodans and resolve ongoing phylogenetic discrepancies.”

A new specimen, representing part of a left femur, was collected from the Elmers III Formation in Boulafa, near Bruman in Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains in 2020.

These fossils date to the Basonian stage (Central Jurassic), approximately 165 to 160 million years ago.

The diverse green and red mudstones of this formation have yielded significant fossils, including Africa’s oldest known antirosaurus, Spicomellus afer, and one of the oldest Stegosaurus species, Adratiklit boulahfa.

The newly identified specimen is now recognized as the oldest Serapodan, adding valuable data to our understanding of Central Jurassic taxa.

“Despite its fragmentary nature, the specimen exhibits key features, including a distinct neck of the femoral head and a noticeable relationship between the head and the greater trochanter.”

“Further exploration and sampling of Elmers III Formation in Morocco are crucial for deepening our understanding of Oritesian dinosaur evolution during the Central Jurassic.”

The research team’s study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science on March 12, 2025.

____

Susanna Maid et al. 2025. The world’s oldest Serapodan Ornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic of central Morocco. R. Soc. Open Sci 12(3): 241624; doi: 10.1098/rsos.241624

Source: www.sci.news

Small duck-billed dinosaur species found in Morocco for the first time

Posted on by
Reply

A new genus and species of dwarf lambeosaurid hadrosauridae have been discovered in Moroccan rocks dating back to the late Cretaceous period, approximately 68 million years ago.

Late Maastrichtian dinosaurs from Morocco's latest Cretaceous phosphates.Image credit: Longrich other., doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9.

“Dalatypus dinosaurs, or hadrosaurs, were highly successful herbivores that caused large-scale radioactivity in the Late Cretaceous,” said paleontologists from the University of Bath. Nicholas Longrich and his colleagues.

“Hadrosaurids evolved in North America during the Turonian period (94 to 90 million years ago) and then dispersed to Asia and Europe.”

“The presence of hadrosaurids in Africa is puzzling because Africa had been isolated from Laurasia by the deep ocean since the Middle Jurassic, whereas hadrosaurids evolved in the Late Cretaceous.”

“The solution to this contradiction seems to be that the platypus either swam to Africa or crossed there on a raft.”

The newly described hadrosaurid species lived in Africa during the late Maastrichtian period of the Late Cretaceous period, about 68 million years ago.

named Mincaria Batathis dinosaur was relatively small, measuring about 3.5 meters (11.5 ft) in length.

This species comes from the phosphate mines of Sidi Chennan, Morocco, the same locality where the hadrosaur family Lambeosaurus was produced. Ajnavia Odysseusand based on a partial skull.

belongs to Areni Saulinia clade of lambeosaurid hadrosaurids endemic to Europe and North Africa.

“Mincaria Bata is distinguished from Ajnavia Odysseus “This is due to the shape of the maxilla, which has a more ventrally located zygomatic surface, a curved external ridge, a more sinusoidal tooth row, and an array of neurovascular foramina,” the paleontologists said.

“But the new species is very similar. Ajnavia Odysseus Other arenisaurines also have their small size and many anatomical features. ”

skull elements Mincaria Bata. Scale bar – 5 cm.Image credit: Longrich other., doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9.

Researchers also unearthed the fossilized remains of two other hadrosaurids at the Sidi Daoui and Mura Larak sites.

“The humerus and femur belong to a larger hadrosaurid, measuring 6 meters (20 feet) long, suggesting that at least three species coexisted,” the researchers said.

Research team's analysis suggests a group of hadrosaurs lambeosauridae It first diversified in Asia and later dispersed to North America.

Dispersal from Asia to Europe was followed by dispersal to North Africa. Multiple dispersals from Europe to Africa appear to be more parsimonious than a single dispersal, but are not impossible, especially considering its unique morphology. Ajnavia Odysseus and Mincaria Bata.

“Hadrosaurid diversity in Europe and Africa suggests a dispersal radiation, with lambeosaurs taking advantage of low ornithischian diversity to diversify,” the scientists said. Stated.

“However, African lambeosaurs are smaller than their North American and Asian counterparts, probably due to competition with titanosaurs.”

“The lack of known hadrosaurids from eastern Africa suggests that Moroccan hadrosaurids are part of a distinct island fauna and may represent an island radiation.”

of findings appear in the diary scientific report.

_____

NR Long Rich other. 2024. A new small duck-billed dinosaur (hadrosauridae: Lambeosauridae) discovered from Morocco and the diversity of dinosaurs from the late Maastrichtian in North Africa. science officer 14, 3665; doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9

Source: www.sci.news