| Gonkoken Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
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| Restoration of Gonkoken nanoi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| clade: | Ornithopoda |
| Family: | †Hadrosauridae |
| Genus: | †Gonkoken |
| Species: | †G. nanoi |
| Type species | |
| †Gonkoken nanoi Alarcón-Muñoz | |
Description[]
Gonkoken was a smaller-sized hadrosaur discovered in 2023, growing to around 11.5 to 13 feet (3.5 - 4 meters) in length. Its name translates to "similar to a duck or swan" in the Aónikenk (Southern Tehuelches) language. Similarly to other hadrosaurs, it had hundreds of teeth in batteries that it used to grind wood and tough plants.
Discovery[]
G. nanoi was found in the Valle del Río de Las Chinas sector of Chilean Patagonia. The fossils found - around fifty bones - are from three individuals, a mix of adults and juveniles. The known bones are skull bones, vertebrae, limb bones, and ribs; these date to the Late Cretaceous period, around 72 million years ago.
All bones found for Gonkoken
Classification[]
Researchers think G. nanoi was an evolutionary link between older and newer hadrosaurs. It was probably not an ancestor of other hadrosaurs in the Southern Hemisphere.
Gallery[]
