New dinosaur species discovered in Japan named after gnomes

A new species of plant-eating dinosaur, Sasayamagnomus saegusai, has been discovered in Japan, representing the easternmost fossil record of ceratopsians in Asia. This dinosaur, measuring approximately 3 feet in length and weighing around 10 kg, is believed to be an ancestor of the well-known triceratops. The fossil found is from a young individual, suggesting that adults may have been larger. The discovery was made in the Albian Ohyamashimo Formation in southwestern Japan, dating back over 110 million years. The research indicates that this dinosaur lived during a time when the eastern part of Eurasia and North America were connected by the Bering land bridge. This connection likely facilitated the migration of ceratopsians from Asia to North America. The period was characterized by extreme global warming, which allowed for the development of extensive forests, even in the Arctic regions. Scientists believe that the combination of global warming and the emergence of the Bering land bridge played a significant role in the dispersal of neoceratopsians across continents. Previous studies had suggested that this group of dinosaurs initially diversified in Asia before spreading to North America, but the specific timing and mechanisms of this dispersal were not well understood until now. The findings, published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology, refine the timeline of ceratopsian evolution and migration, providing new insights into the ecological conditions that enabled these dinosaurs to thrive and spread across vast distances during the late Aptian or early Albian period.