Fossils of new armored dinosaur species found in East China

BEIJING -- Researchers have named a new armored dinosaur species "Datai yingliangis" after two specimens were unearthed in East China's Jiangxi province.

The discovery of the new dinosaur is an important addition to the fossil record of Ankylosaurine, an iconic armored dinosaur species in the early Late Cretaceous, according to Xing Lida, associate professor at China University of Geosciences, Beijing (CUGB).

The two specimens were subadults with a body length of 3.5 to 4 meters each. They both had a pair of signature horns on their cheeks.

The third and fourth cervical vertebrae of the dinosaurs were cut through by two curved cave remains, which was about 2 cm in diameter.

"Such remains are generally cave marks left in the sediment by mollusks or other invertebrates, which may have simply dug holes in the sediment and come into 'close contact' with Datai yingliangis," Xing explained.

Interestingly, the two dinosaurs were found on top of each other, which is believed to happen when they suffered a rapid burial of aeolian sand deposits. "It is likely related to the social behavior of Ankylosaurs," Xing added.

The study has been published in the journal Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology.