Jakapil
Jakapil was a small armoured dinosaur that walked on two legs. It lived in a huge desert in what is now Argentina, about 97 million years ago. Unlike many armoured dinosaurs, it had a strong bite and could chew tough plants.1
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Fun facts
Jakapil is the first armoured dinosaur ever found in Argentina's Patagonia region.1
Unlike most armoured dinosaurs, Jakapil probably walked on two legs, like the earlier dinosaur Scutellosaurus.1
Its name comes from the Tehuelche language and means 'shield bearer'.1
Jakapil lived in the Kokorkom Desert, a huge sand dune desert that covered about 826 square kilometres.1
It had a short lower jaw with a high coronoid process, giving it a strong bite for chewing plants.1
Scientists are not sure if Jakapil was a very early armoured dinosaur or an early relative of ankylosaurs.1
The only known fossil is a subadult, so adults might have been a bit bigger than 1.5 metres long.1
Most asked questions about Jakapil
?How big was Jakapil?
Jakapil was small, less than 1.5 metres long and weighed about 4.5 to 7 kilograms. The only known fossil is a subadult, so adults might have been a bit bigger.31
?What did Jakapil eat?
Jakapil was a plant eater. It had a strong bite and could chew tough plants, unlike many other armoured dinosaurs.31
?Did Jakapil walk on two legs?
Yes, Jakapil probably walked on two legs, similar to the earlier dinosaur Scutellosaurus. But scientists are not completely sure because the fossil is incomplete.31
?When did Jakapil live?
Jakapil lived about 97 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period. It was found in the Candeleros Formation in Argentina.31
?Was Jakapil a dinosaur?
Yes, Jakapil was a dinosaur. It was a thyreophoran, but scientists are not sure if it was a very early armoured dinosaur or an early relative of ankylosaurs.31
?Why is it called Jakapil?
Its name comes from the Tehuelche language and means 'shield bearer', because it had armour plates on its body.3
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Jakapil
- Named by
- Riguetti et al. 20224
- Group
- Armoured dinos
- Family / clade
- Thyreophoroidea4
- Classification
- Ornithischia > Thyreophora4
- Age of the rocks
- 113 to 110 million years (Albian)4
- Rock formations
- Candeleros4
- Countries
- Argentina4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Jakapil was named in 2022 by Riguetti and colleagues based on a partial skeleton found in the Candeleros Formation of Argentina.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether Jakapil was a very early armoured dinosaur or a close relative of ankylosaurs.1
Where the facts come from
- A new Cretaceous thyreophoran from Patagonia supports a South American lineage of armoured dinosaurs | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Jakapil (en.wikipedia.org)
- Jakapil in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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