New burrowing species of dinosaur unearthed by NC paleontologists

A 100-million-year-old dinosaur was unearthed by North Carolina scientists who believe the dinosaur lived in a burrow like an armadillo and grazed like a deer.

The new dinosaur, Fona herzogae, lived 99 million years ago in what is now Utah. At that time, the area was a large floodplain ecosystem sandwiched between the shores of a massive inland ocean to the east and active volcanoes and mountains to the west. It was a warm, wet, muddy environment with numerous rivers running through it.

Paleontologists from North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences unearthed the fossil – and other specimens from the same species, beginning in 2013. Fona is described as a seven-foot-long, burrow dwelling and plant-eating dinosaur.

Evidence shows the newly-discovered species spent at least part of their time in underground burrows.

The burrowing is what makes this dinosaur so special, according to Haviv Avrahami, a Ph.D. student at N.C. State and digital technician for the new Dueling Dinosaurs program at the Museum of Natural Sciences.

"It's incredibly rare," Avrahami said. "It’s only been identified as a behavior in one closely related species."

Avrahami, the first author of a paper describing Fona, said scientists are confident it was a burrower for a number of reasons, including the shape of its bones -- especially its robust hind legs.

"It's feet are also freakishly large for the size of its body and would’ve helped it kick dirt out of its home," Avrahami said.

Avrahami said there is much more to learn from the little dinosaur, as animals this small are relatively rare in the fossil record.

"Fona is part of a group of dinosaurs that we know almost nothing about," Avrahami said. "It is almost like one of the biggest black holes in paleontology."

The Museum of Natural Sciences told WRAL News it has the real skeleton, a 3D-printed model of the skull, as well as a scientific illustration of what it would look like fleshed out. The Fona skeleton will be on display in the museum at 11 W. Jones St., where guests can watch as paleontologists continue to work on it.

The genus name Fona comes from the ancestral creation story of the Chamorro people, who are the indigenous populations of Guam and the Pacific Mariana Islands. Fona and Pontan were brother and sister explorers who discovered the island and became the land and sky. The species name honors Lisa Herzog, the paleontology operations manager at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, for her invaluable contributions and dedication to the field of paleontology.

"I wanted to honor the indigenous mythology of Guam, which is where my Chamorro ancestors are from," said Avrahami. "In the myth, Fona became part of the land when she died, and from her body sprung forth new life, which to me, ties into fossilization, beauty, and creation. Fona was most likely covered in a downy coat of colorful feathers. The species name is for Lisa Herzog, who has been integral to all this work and discovered one of the most exceptional Fona specimens of several individuals preserved together in what was likely a burrow."