The phrase “when dinosaurs walked the earth” is one that gets thrown
out a lot while discussing the past. It invokes the thought of towering,
scaled beasts stomping their way across Pangaea, but it’s worth
remembering that there were likely species that preempted the infamous
Tyrannosaurus Rex. At the very least, one of them has been found — even
if it’s just the ancient remains.
The skull of the creature was
first unearthed in the Sahara Desert, and the three years that followed
had scientists working to excavate the rest of the remains. Now there’s
plenty of evidence to go by, as well as a name: Bunostegos akokanensis.
It stood roughly the size of a cow, but the fact that it stood at all is
the key point; the skeletal structure may have denied it certain
movements modern-day animals enjoy, but its posture still implies that
it could do plenty of walking if the need arose. Depending on the status
of its habitat, it may have constantly had the need.
The
Bunostegos is probably hiding even more secrets and details, but
scientists have confidently found at least one. The fossils found date
back to a whopping 260 million years ago — so if the Bunostegos really
is the earliest animal to walk upright, then it changes the common
understanding of evolution, timeframe or otherwise. Even if it’s not the
earliest, then it’s still a welcome addition to the history books.
