Moroccan Fossil Find Reignites Debate on Dinosaur Extinction

The majority (90%) of the last dinosaurs, of all species (mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs and ammonites) disappeared from the earth about 66 million years ago. The causes of their extinction continue to be the subject of debate for more than 200 years.

The new discovery of Abelisauridae fossils in Morocco suggests that several species of African dinosaurs lived in North Africa before their sudden disappearance, caused by the fall of a giant asteroid 66 million years ago, according to the specialized media phys.org.

The site, located outside of Casablanca, is teeming with fossils of several species of African dinosaurs. The foot bone of a dinosaur about two and a half meters long was found near the town of Sidi Daoui, while the tibia of another about five meters long was discovered in Sidi Chennane. Both are abelisaurs.

"What’s surprising here is that it’s a marine environment. It’s a shallow tropical sea full of plesiosaurs, mosasaurs and sharks. It’s not exactly where you’d expect to find a lot of dinosaurs. But we’re finding them," explained the lead researcher, Dr. Nick Longrich, from the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath.