Lesothosaurus
| Lesothosaurus | ||||||
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Live reconstruction of Lesothosaurus diagnosticus |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||
| Lower Jurassic ( Hettangium ) | ||||||
| 201.3 to 199.3 million years | ||||||
| Locations | ||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||
| Lesothosaurus | ||||||
| Galton , 1978 | ||||||
| Art | ||||||
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Lesothosaurus (Lesotho lizard) is a very original representative of the bird basin dinosaur (Ornithischia), whichlivedin southern Africa during the Lower Jurassic ( Hettangium ).
Lesothosaurus was originally included in the Ornithopoda , but studies by Paul Sereno place him as one of the most primitive known bird pelvic dinosaurs at the origin of this taxon. So far, only the species Lesothosaurus diagnosticus has been described, so the genus is monotypical .
features
The herbivore, about three feet long, had an iguana-like, short, flat and small skull, with pointed, arrow-shaped teeth, short front legs (with five-fingered hands), long hind legs and a long tail. The long hind legs indicate that Lesothosaurus could run very quickly. The joint end (caput ossis femoris) of the pronounced thigh bone is so far unique in dinosaurs. Lesothosaurus walked biped on its hind legs.
Its remains were found in the Upper Elliot Formation and are approximately 201 to 199 million years old.
literature
- Richard J. Butler: The 'fabrosaurid' ornithischian dinosaurs of the Upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) of South Africa and Lesotho. In: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Vol. 145, No. 2, 2005, ISSN 0024-4082 , pp. 175-218, doi : 10.1111 / j.1096-3642.2005.00182.x .
- Fabien Knoll: Nearly Complete Skull of Lesothosaurus (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic: Hettangian) of Lesotho. In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Vol. 22, No. 2, 2002, ISSN 0272-4634 , pp. 238-243, doi : 10.1671 / 0272-4634 (2002) 022 [0238: NCSOLD] 2.0.CO; 2 .
