Titan of Tolkien's Realm: The Rechristened Archaic Reptile - The Orc-headed One
A Fascinating Find from the Dinosaur Era
Meet Bolg amondol, a badger-sized lizard that gives a nod to J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. This fascinating creature, who boasts an armored skull and goes by the name of an orc chieftain, roamed the southwestern United States around 75 million years ago[1]. Here, fondly referred to as the "little monster" thief by researchers, Bolg might have been raiding eggs and smaller animals, according to a recent study published in "Royal Society Open Science"[1].
Hank Woolley, the lead researcher from the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, explains his awe at the discovery. "I opens a jar labeled 'lizard' at the Natural History Museum of Utah and goes, 'Wow, this is a fragmentary skeleton.' Very little was known about large lizards from the Kaiparowits Formation in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah before this," Woolley says[2].
The exotic name Bolg references Tolkien's fantasy universe, where Bolg is an orc prince from The Hobbit. Woolley finds it fitting, noting, "I immediately think of orcs when I see these lizards, especially their skulls," [2]. The species name "amon-dol" in Sindarin, the fictional Elvish language, signifies "hill-head," reflecting the hill-like bone plates (osteoderms) on the lizard's skull[2].
Piecing Together the Past
The fragmentary nature of Bolg amondol's fossil remains presented a puzzle to the research team. They had to meticulously fit together tiny pieces of the skull, pelvis, limbs, bony armor, and vertebrae to identify the species[1]. Woolley remarks, "The really interesting thing about this holotype specimen of Bolg is that it's fragmentary, but we've got a pretty comprehensive sample of the skeleton." This ensures confidence that the remains likely belong to a single individual[1].
Dining in the Jurassic
Bolg amondol shares similarities with the Gila monster, a modern, live-bearing lizard native to North America's deserts[1]. The discovery suggests that at least three distinct species of large predatory lizards inhabited the once-seasonally tropical forests in southern Utah during the dinosaur era[3]. Joe Sertich, co-author and researcher from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Colorado State University, speculates that lizards like Bolg played a crucial role in the dinosaur ecosystem[3].
The next known relative of Bolg hails from the Gobi Desert in Asia, adding evidence to the theory that smaller animals migrated between continents during the Cretaceous period[1]. The discovery of Bolg amondol further underscores the importance of museum collections as mines of untapped scientific knowledge, as its significance was only realized after 17 years in storage[4].
[1] - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0232664[2] - https://www.nhm.org/science/science-news/2022/09/new-species-of-spiked-dinosaur-lizard-becomes-a-tolkien-inspired-icon[3] - https://www.pr newswire.com/news-releases/fossilized-lizard-from-the-age-of-dinosaurs-shows-preyed-upon-other-large-lizards-in-the-same-habitat-301538123.html[4] - https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwielaard/2022/09/22/newly-discovered-prehistoric-lizard-reveals-beauty-of-creatures-once-roaming-utah-deserts-during-age-of-dinosaurs/?sh=24c56c0934aa[5] - https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25433361-000-how-this-140-million-year-old-lizard-helped-history-catch-up-with-the-truth/
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Intriguing as it may seem, Bolg amondol, the Tolkien-inspired lizard, didn't just roam around the Mesozoic jungles raiding eggs; it shared the same habitat with other large predatory lizards, turning the grand lizard party into a wild game of survival! This home-and-garden life of Bolg in the dinosaur era was recently brought to light by Hank Woolley and his team, as they pieced together fragments of Bolg's fossil and discovered its close resemblance to the modern Gila monster. As they dug through the sands of time, they uncovered more about the little monster's lifestyle and habits, offering a unique glimpse into the past.
