In Depth
Jakapil is an interesting little dinosaur as it may represent not only a basal thyreophoran dinosaur, but possibly also for the time of its description, an unknown kind. Unfortunately the remains of the holotype individual are largely incomplete, but they do at least give us a tantalising glimpse at the jaw structure, general build and even spiny armour plating of this dinosaur.
Jakapil seems to have been bipedal, and had large spiny armour running down its body, especially along its neck. Jakapil also had a strongly developed lower jaw. The describing authors speculated that instead of shearing and swallowing plants, Jakapil may have actually chewed (masticated) plant material first before swallowing. This could explain the strong development in the lower jaw as other types of dinosaur speculated to feed in this way often also have strongly developed lower jaws. This method of feeding and development can also be supported by the knowledge that the Candeleros Formation where the holotype of Jakapil was discovered was largely an arid desert-like habitat. In such an environment, only the toughest of plants could survive, and only the animals adapted to feed on them could live.
Further reading
- A new Cretaceous thyreophoran from Patagonia supports a South American lineage of armoured dinosaurs. - Scientific Reports. 12 (1): Article number 11621. - Facundo J. Riguetti, Sebasti�n Apestegu�a & Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola - 2022.
