New species of dinosaur-era dragonfly found by a analysis scholar in Alberta’s Badlands

New species of dinosaur-era dragonfly found by a analysis scholar in Alberta’s Badlands

Eli Ridder | CBC News | Posted: August 27, 2025 12:00 PM | Last Updated: Just now

The Cordualadensa acorni sheds mild on a 30-million-year hole in dragonfly evolution

As a toddler rising up in Medicine Hat, Andre Mueller was obsessive about dinosaurs — and now the McGill University grasp’s scholar has made a discovery that is resulting in new insights on the prehistoric period.

The discover got here in 2023 when Mueller, then an undergraduate scholar at McGill, was doing a paleontology area course on the park led by Prof. Hans Larsson.

While the coed staff was centered on discovering plant fossils, Mueller requested his friends to maintain an eye fixed out for any unusual shapes. Halfway by means of the season, he was handed a rock the scale of a toonie.

“I have a look at it and my heart skips a beat,” Mueller informed CBC News in an interview final week.

“I suddenly realized, oh my goodness, this is not a leaf.”

Mueller and the staff weren’t anticipating to discover a prehistoric insect.

Dinosaur Provincial Park — a part of Alberta’s Badlands — will get its identify from the numerous various dinosaur fossils discovered there over the past century. More than 40 totally different dinosaur species have been discovered within the park, made up of about 80 sq. kilometres of land.

Until now, no different prehistoric insect proof had been uncovered within the space excluding a microscopic aphid trapped in amber a couple of years in the past, in keeping with Mueller.

Watch | What to know concerning the 75-million yr outdated dragonfly fossil:

Mueller’s discover has since opened the doorways for extra insect analysis.

“As soon as we found that wing, we started realizing: ‘OK, we have insects now.’ So, we started looking for more and we have found more,” Mueller stated.

“Now I can’t say too much about them, but we do have more insects on the way, thanks to the discovery of this dragonfly.”

‘A tasty raptor snack’

The trio named the brand new dragonfly species Cordualadensa acorni.

Cordualadensa — that means densely packed chordalid — was chosen due to the dragonfly’s wings, which had extra veins than its fashionable equal. The staff selected acorni for the species identify to honour University of Alberta lecturer John Acorn, who promoted the province’s pure historical past to the general public for many years.

They even created a brand new household known as Cordualadensidae as a result of insect’s distinct anatomy.

Mueller stated the dragonfly was concerning the width of a human hand and, whereas small, was an vital a part of the dinosaur ecosystem.

“Just a little fella, large on Canadian standards, but it’s a fairly-sized dragonfly,” stated Mueller. “This guy would have inevitably been a tasty raptor snack.”

Internationally famend Alberta paleontologist Philip Currie, who has spent over 40 years researching dinosaurs, stated the dragonfly wing helps to color a clearer image of what life was like 75 million years in the past.

“At one time we had this really skewed version of what the environment must have been like with these big dinosaurs running round,” Currie, a professor on the University of Alberta in Edmonton, stated Tuesday.

“But in fact, it’s very similar to a modern environment where the majority of animals and plants and things are maybe not all that foreign to us.”

30-million-year hole in historical past

Larsson, who led the 2023 excavation staff, stated Mueller’s discover additionally helps to fill a 30-million yr hole in historical past.

“So this is really a first.”

The fossil reveals extra about how dragonflies developed over time, Larsson stated.

“Once you realize that if you look in the right levels, the right sites, the right kind of combination of rock and fossils associated with it, then you have a good chance that you will find insects,” Currie stated.

“Hopefully what this will do is encourage more people to look in those beds specifically for insects, and I think once you get people specifically looking for a type of fossil, then you start to find them.”

Meanwhile, Mueller is continuous the hunt for extra on the identical website in Dinosaur Provincial Park the place he discovered the primary insect fossil.