New species of dinosaur uncovered in Morocco

A new species of dinosaur has been uncovered in Morocco, scientists from London's Natural History Museum said on Tuesday.

Dr Susannah Maidment, who is leading the dig, said that pieces of a vertebrae and an upper-arm bone from a new genus of stegosaurus dating back to the Middle Jurassic period were found during an excavation in the North African country.

The dinosaur has been named Adratiklit boulahfa, meaning "mountain lizard" in Amazighe.

"The discovery of Adratiklit boulahfa is particularly exciting as we have dated it to the middle Jurassic," Maidment said according to The Guardian.

"Most known stegosaurs date from far later in the Jurassic period, making this the oldest definite stegosaur described and helping to increase our understanding of the evolution of this group of dinosaurs."

It is the first species of stegosaurus to be found in North Africa, and could offer a new perspective on the distribution of dinosaurs in the world.

"Most stegosaurs we know of, including the Natural History Museum's Sophie, the most complete stegosaur discovered, have been found in Laurasian rock formations," she said.

"This, however, may not mean that stegosaurs were not so common in Gondwana and in fact may be due to the fact that Gondwana rock formations have been subject to far fewer excavations and detailed studies."