Staurikosaurus
| Staurikosaurus | ||||||||||||
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Skeleton reconstruction of Staurikosaurus pricei |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
| Upper Triassic ( Carnian ) | ||||||||||||
| 235 to 228 million years | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Staurikosaurus | ||||||||||||
| Colbert , 1970 | ||||||||||||
| Art | ||||||||||||
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Staurikosaurus is a genus of primitive dinosaurs from the Herrerasauridae group. Fossils come from the Santa Maria Formation of Rio Grande do Sul ( Brazil ) and are dated to the early Upper Triassic ( Carnian ).
Staurikosaurus and other representatives of the Herrerasauridae are among the oldest and most primitive (most basal) known dinosaurs, most researchers consider them to be very basal representatives of the Saurischia (pelvic lizard dinosaur). The only species described is Staurikosaurus pricei . It was first described in 1970 by Edwin Harris Colbert . The name Staurikosaurus ( Gr. Staurikos - "of a cross", sauros - "lizard") means "lizard of the cross" and refers to the constellation Cross of the South , which can be seen on the flag of Brazil .
description
Staurikosaurus was a medium-sized, two-legged carnivore. The body length estimates a work at 2.20 to 2.25 meters, with the tail making up 60 percent. The lower jaw is almost as long as the femur, which suggests a proportionally large head. The legs were long and slender. There were 13 or 14 teeth in the lower jaw. It is believed that Staurikosaurus resembled its much larger relative Herrerasaurus in its habitus .
Paleobiology
Staurikosaurus was probably a lean and fast predator, so its prey probably consisted of various smaller reptiles and eggs and juveniles from larger reptiles. Staurikosaurus probably had an almost completely upright gait, like its relatives.
Fossil record
Staurikosaurus is known only through a single, incompletely preserved skeleton, which includes the almost complete spine, the pelvic bones, upper and lower legs of the hind legs and the lower jaw. The rest of the skull, the front legs and the lower parts of the hind legs are missing.
literature
- Max C. Langer: Basal Saurischia. In: David B. Weishampel, Peter Dodson , Halszka Osmólska : The Dinosauria . 2nd edition. University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , pp. 25-46, doi: 10.1525 / california / 9780520242098.003.0004 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Gregory S. Paul : The Princeton Field Guide To Dinosaurs. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2010, ISBN 978-0-691-13720-9 , p. 69.
- ↑ a b c Orlando N. Grillo, Sergio AK Azevedo: Pelvic and hind limb musculature of Staurikosaurus pricei (Dinosauria: Saurischia). In: Anais Da Academia Brasileira De Ciências. Vol. 83, No. 1, 2011, pp. 73-98, doi: 10.1590 / S0001-37652011000100005 .
- ^ A b Edwin H. Colbert: A Saurischian Dinosaur from the Triassic of Brazil. In: American Museum Novitates. No. 2405, 1970 ( digitallibrary.amnh.org )
- ↑ Hans-Dieter Sues : Staurikosaurus and Herrerasauridae. In: David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson , Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 1990, ISBN 0-520-06726-6 , pp. 143-147.
- ↑ Steven Parker: Dinosaurs ; 2004, Weltbild publishing group; ISBN 3-8289-6031-6 ; P. 119.
- ↑ Oscar A. Alcober, Ricardo N. Martinez: A new herrerasaurid (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation of northwestern Argentina . In: ZooKeys. Vol. 63, 2010, pp. 55-81, doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.63.550
- ↑ Peter M. Galton: On Staurikosaurus pricei, an early saurischian dinosaur from the Triassic of Brazil, with notes on the Herrerasauridae and Poposauridae. In: Paleontological Journal. Vol. 51, No. 3/4, 1977, pp. 234-245, doi: 10.1007 / BF02986571 .
