Jakapil
Ja-kah-pilName meaning: Shield Bearer
Time Period: Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) 97-94 Mya
Locations: Argentina-Candeleros Formation
Taxonomy: Ornithischia-Thyreophora
Subspecies: J.kaniukura
Characteristics ~ ~ ~ ~
Jakapil grew to almost 5 feet long and weight 10-15 pounds. The most complete part of Jakapil’s skeleton was it’s lower jaw which was strong and highly developed for chewing. Jakapil was covered in osteodems from head to tail to defend itself from predators wth most of them being concentrated around the neck. Jakapil was bipedal with small functionless armsbecause running bipedally was faster and more effective for avoiding predators. It lived with small predators like Alnashetri, Buitreraptor, and giant predators like Ekrixinatosaurus, and Giganotosaurus.
History & Fossils ~ ~ ~ ~
Jakapil was found in 2014 but wasn't fully excavated and described untill 2023. It’s discovery was important because it meant there was a whole new family of undiscovered dinosaurus. Jakapil which was in Thyreophora the group containing the split between stegosaurs and ankylosaurs but before that there was another small armored member Scutellosaurus from Arizona in the Sinemurian of Jurassic period. Scuttelosaurus had no known relatives till Jakapil and Jakapil lived in the Cenomonian of the Cretaceous a 90 million year gap between the two.
Media Deptictions ~ ~ ~ ~
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