Adratiklit is an extinct type of dinosaur that belonged to the group known as stegosaurs. This dinosaur lived during the Middle Jurassic period, around 168 to 164 million years ago, on the supercontinent Gondwana, which is mainly what we now call southern continents.
The name Adratiklit means “mountain lizard” in the Berber language. It includes a single known species named Adratiklit boulahfa, which was found in north Morocco, near the area of Boulahfa.
Stegosaurs, including Adratiklit, were plant-eating dinosaurs characterized by their plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Many stegosaurs were found in the northern part of the world during the Jurassic, but remains of these dinosaurs are quite rare in southern regions like Gondwana. Adratiklit is significant because it is the first known stegosaur from North Africa, and it is one of the oldest known members of its family.
The discovery of Adratiklit was announced in 2019 by a team of scientists. They studied several bones, including a back vertebra and an upper arm bone. Adratiklit was estimated to grow up to 7 meters long, which is about 23 feet.
The unique features of Adratiklit help scientists understand more about stegosaur evolution. It is closely related to certain stegosaurs found in Europe, rather than some of the ones identified in southern Africa.
In summary, Adratiklit is an important dinosaur for understanding the variety of dinosaurs in ancient times, especially in areas where they are not commonly found today.