Taleta

MEANING: Three

PERIOD: Late Cretaceous

CONTINENT: Africa

Taleta is a small lambeosaurine hadrosaur whose name, meaning "three," references it as the third hadrosaur discovered in Morocco. These northern African hadrosaurs demonstrate the versatility of dinosaur evolution, as they are much smaller than their North American counterparts. Taleta measured approximately 3.5 m in total body length.

Abstract from paper: In the Late Cretaceous, continental fragmentation and high sea levels created a series of island continents, leading to the evolution of endemic dinosaur faunas on these isolated land masses. Laramidia saw the emergence of faunas dominated by ornithischian herbivores and tyrannosaurid predators whereas Gondwanan continents were dominated by titanosaurian sauropods and abelisaurid predators. However, the end of the Cretaceous also saw exchange between northern and southern assemblages, with titanosaurs immigrating into Laurasia, and hadrosaurids invading Gondwana. Recently, the lambeosaurine hadrosaurid Ajnabia odysseus was reported from the late Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco, providing evidence of dispersal by duckbill dinosaurs into northwest Africa. A second lambeosaurine, Minqaria bata, has since been documented from the same strata in Morocco. Both belong to the lambeosaurine tribe Arenysaurini. Here we report a third species of arenysaurin, Taleta taleta gen. et sp. nov., also from the uppermost Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco. Taleta, known from two associated maxillae, differs from Ajnabia and Minqaria in the dorsally positioned ectopterygoid ridge, straight toothrow, large, obliquely oriented maxillary tooth crowns, and prominent primary ridge of the maxillary teeth. The striking variation in jaw and tooth morphology seen in African arenysaurins suggests a dispersal-driven adaptive radiation, with lambeosaurines rapidly diversifying to occupy new niches following dispersal from Europe into North Africa. The African radiation coincided with lambeosaurine decline in North America, emphasizing the highly regional nature of dinosaur evolution.

Taleta is from the Late Cretaceous. The Cretaceous is the third and final geological period of the Mesozoic Era, with the Late Cretaceous making up roughly the second half of it, lasting from about 100 to 66 million years ago. It was a time of significant evolutionary change, with dinosaurs reaching their greatest diversity before the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous.

The Cretaceous was a period with a relatively warm climate, though the Late Cretaceous experienced a global cooling trend, caused by falling levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The continents were nearing their present positions, but high sea levels flooded low-lying regions, turning Europe into an archipelago, and forming the Western Interior Seaway in North America. These seas were home to a variety of marine reptiles, including mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, while pterosaurs and birds shared the skies.

On land, dinosaurs continued to thrive and diversify during the Late Cretaceous, producing many of the most well-known groups, including tyrannosaurs, hadrosaurs, and pachycephalosaurs. Established Cretaceous dinosaur clades like the ceratopsians, ankylosaurs, and dromaeosaurs continued to flourish. Sauropod species consisted almost exclusively of titanosaurs, which seemed to be confined to the Southern Hemisphere for much of the Late Cretaceous. Flowering plants and grasses diversified and spread, becoming the dominant flora similar to what we see today.

The Cretaceous (along with the Mesozoic) ended with the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, a large mass extinction in which many groups, including non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and large marine reptiles, died out. This event, likely triggered by an asteroid impact, is marked by the abrupt K–Pg boundary, a distinct geologic layer separating the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. In its aftermath, mammals and avian dinosaurs rapidly diversified, becoming the dominant land animals of the Cenozoic Era.

Taleta is a lambeosaurine hadrosaur. The hadrosauridae, often called "duck-billed dinosaurs," were some of the most successful herbivores of the Late Cretaceous. They belonged to the broader group of ornithopods within the ornithischia, and were especially notable for their complex rows of tightly packed teeth, or dental batteries, that allowed them to efficiently process tough plant material. Hadrosaurs came in a wide range of sizes and shapes, but many shared traits like broad beaks, strong hindlimbs, and often elaborate crests on their heads. They were widespread, thriving across North America, Asia, and Europe, and represent one of the final flourishing groups of non-avian dinosaurs before the end-Cretaceous extinction.

Lambeosaurinae is a major subgroup of hadrosaurs, best known for their distinctive hollow, elaborate cranial crests. These crests varied greatly in shape and size between species and are thought to have played roles in visual display, species recognition, and possibly even vocal communication through resonating sounds. Lambeosaurines generally had more lightly built bodies compared to their sister group, the saurolophinae, and tended to favor more forested or coastal environments. This showcases an incredible diversity of forms as they flourished across North America and Asia during the Late Cretaceous.