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Silesauridae
Silesauridae is an extinct family of Triassic dinosauriforms. It is most commonly considered to be a clade of non-dinosaur dinosauriforms, and the sister group of dinosaurs. Some studies have instead suggested that most or all silesaurids comprised an early diverging clade or a paraphyletic grade within ornithischian dinosaurs. Silesaurids have a consistent general body plan, with a fairly long neck and legs and possibly quadrupedal habits, but most silesaurids are heavily fragmentary nonetheless. Furthermore, they occupied a variety of ecological niches, with early silesaurids (such as '' Lewisuchus'') being carnivorous and later taxa (such as '' Kwanasaurus'') having adaptations for specialized herbivory. As indicated by the contents of referred coprolites, '' Silesaurus'' may have been insectivorous, feeding selectively on small beetles and other arthropods. Classification Silesauridae is typically considered the sister group to Dinosauria. The group was named in 2010 by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diodorus Scytobrachion
''Diodorus'' is a genus of Silesauridae, silesaurid dinosauromorph (member of a clade that includes the dinosaurs) that lived during the Late Triassic in what is now Morocco. Fossils were discovered in the Timezgadiouine Formation of the Argana Basin, and were used to name the new genus and species ''Diodorus scytobrachion''. The genus name honors the mythological king Diodorus (king), Diodorus and the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus; the Specific name (zoology), specific name is ancient Greek for and also honors the mythographer Dionysius Scytobrachion. The holotype specimen is a partial dentary bone , and assigned specimens include isolated teeth, two humeri , a metatarsal , and femur . ''Diodorus'' is estimated to have been up to long, and features thought to be shared by most silesaurs include a beak-like front of the lower jaw, leaf-shaped teeth, long limbs, and a quadrupedal posture. ''Diodorus'' differs from other silesaurids in having forward-tilted teeth that decre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauromorpha is a clade of avemetatarsalians (archosaurs closer to birds than to crocodilians) that includes the Dinosauria (dinosaurs) and some of their close relatives. It was originally defined to include dinosauriforms and lagerpetids, with later formulations specifically excluding pterosaurs from the group. Birds are the only dinosauromorphs which survive to the present day. Classification The name "Dinosauromorpha" was briefly coined by Michael J. Benton in 1985. It was considered an alternative name for the group "Ornithosuchia", which was named by Jacques Gauthier to correspond to archosaurs closer to dinosaurs than to crocodilians. Although "Ornithosuchia" was later recognized as a misnomer (since ornithosuchids are now considered closer to crocodilians than to dinosaurs), it was still a more popular term than Dinosauromorpha in the 1980s. The group encompassed by Gauthier's "Ornithosuchia" and Benton's "Dinosauromorpha" is now given the name Avemetatarsalia. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kwanasaurus
''Kwanasaurus'' is an extinct genus of Silesauridae, silesaurid Dinosauromorpha, dinosauromorph reptiles from the Late Triassic of Colorado. It is known from a single species, ''Kwanasaurus williamparkeri''. ''Kwanasaurus'' had a deeper, stronger skull and greater specialization for herbivory compared to other silesaurids. It also possessed many unique characteristics of the snout, Ilium (bone), ilium, and lower part of the femur. It was described along with new specimens of ''Dromomeron'' from the Eagle Basin, the northernmost extent of the Chinle Formation. Discovery ''Kwanasaurus'' hails from Triassic deposits in the Eagle Basin surrounding the town of Eagle, Colorado. This area contains the most northern exposures of the Chinle Formation, which is famous for its Late Triassic fossils of dinosaurs and other reptiles. Tentative terrestrial reptile biostratigraphy estimates that the Eagle Basin fossils, which were preserved in red siltstone, belong to the Revueltian biozone of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornithischia
Ornithischia () is an extinct clade of mainly herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by a pelvic structure superficially similar to that of birds. The name ''Ornithischia'', or "bird-hipped", reflects this similarity and is derived from the Greek stem ' (), meaning "bird", and ' (), meaning "hip". However, as theropod dinosaurs, birds are only distantly related to this group. Ornithischians with well known anatomical adaptations include the ceratopsians or "horn-faced" dinosaurs (e.g. ''Triceratops''), the pachycephalosaurs or "thick-headed" dinosaurs, the armored dinosaurs ( Thyreophora) such as stegosaurs and ankylosaurs, and the ornithopods. There is strong evidence that certain groups of ornithischians lived in herds, often segregated by age group, with juveniles forming their own flocks separate from adults. Some were at least partially covered in filamentous (hair- or feather- like) pelts, and there is much debate over whether these filaments found in specimens of '' Ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pisanosaurus
''Pisanosaurus'' ( ) is an extinct genus of early dinosauriform, likely an ornithischian or silesaurid, from the Late Triassic of Argentina. It was a small, lightly built, ground-dwelling herbivore, that could grow up to an estimated long. Only one species, the type, ''Pisanosaurus mertii'', is known, based on a single partial skeleton discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin in northwestern Argentina. This part of the formation has been dated to the late Carnian, approximately 229 million years ago. Discovery and naming ''Pisanosaurus'' is known from a single fragmented skeleton discovered in 1962 by Galileo Juan Scaglia at the Hoyada del Cerro Las Lajas locality (also known as Agua de Las Catas) in the Ischigualasto Formation of La Rioja Province, Argentina. The genus is based on a specimen given the designation PVL 2577, which consists of a partial skull including a fragmentary right maxilla with teeth, and incomplete right ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soumyasaurus
''Soumyasaurus'' is a small silesaurid dinosauriform from the Late Triassic (Norian) Cooper Canyon Formation of western Texas. Etymology ''Soumyasaurus'' is named in honor of Sankar Chatterjee's oldest son, Soumya (likewise, the shuvosaurid pseudosuchian '' Shuvosaurus'' was named for another of Chatterjee's sons, Shuvo). The specific epithet ''aenigmaticus'' derives from the Latin word ''aenigma'', meaning "enigma or riddle", referring to the poor preservation of the fossil. Description The only known element of ''Soumyasaurus'' is a small (less than 3 cm long), poorly preserved left dentary, missing its anterior end and containing some teeth with an estimated tooth count of at least 15. ''Soumyasaurus'' is mostly characterised by its teeth, which are fused to the jaw bone by a rim fibrous bone at their bases (ankylothecodont), a characteristic trait of silesaurids. Unlike the typically leaf-shaped teeth of other silesaurids, the teeth of ''Soumyasaurus'' are smooth a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lutungutali
''Lutungutali'' (meaning "high hip" in the Bemba language) is an extinct genus of silesaurid dinosauriform from the Middle Triassic of Zambia. The single type species of the genus is ''Lutungutali sitwensis''. ''Lutungutali'' was named in 2013 and described from a fossil specimen, holotype NHCC LB32, including hip bones and tail vertebrae. The specimen was collected in 2009 from the upper Ntawere Formation, which dates to the Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic. ''Lutungutali'' is the first known silesaurid from Zambia and, along with the Tanzanian silesaurid '' Asilisaurus'' and dinosauriform ''Nyasasaurus'', the oldest bird-line archosaur known from body fossils (i.e. parts of the skeleton). Description ''Lutungutali'' is known from parts of its pelvis and from four caudal vertebrae that make up the base of the tail. These bones represent one individual, although bones that may belong to ''Lutungutali'' representing eight other individuals were collected from the same fossi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lewisuchus
''Lewisuchus'' is a genus of archosaur that lived during the Late Triassic (early Carnian). As a silesaurid dinosauriform, it was a member of the group of reptiles most commonly considered to be the closest relatives of dinosaurs (possibly true dinosaurs themselves). ''Lewisuchus'' was about long. Fossils have been found in the Chañares Formation of Argentina. It exhibited osteoderms along its back. History The first remains of ''Lewisuchus'' were discovered in a 1964-1965 joint expedition by the Museo de La Plata and Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology. These remains were preserved in a carbonate nodule recovered from the Chañares Formation of Argentina. It contained a partial skeleton of ''Lewisuchus'', including parts of the skull, braincase, many vertebrae, scapulocoracoids, humeri, and tibiae. A gomphodont and bones from several other species of archosaurs were also preserved in the same nodule. An isolated lower jaw and foot bones were also initially refer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamatavus
''Gamatavus'' (meaning "Picada do Gama great-grandfather") is a genus of silesaurid dinosauriform from the Middle Triassic Santa Maria Formation of Dilermando de Aguiar Municipality, Brazil. The genus contains a single species, ''G. antiquus'', known from a partial ilium. ''Gamatavus'' represents one of the oldest silesaurids known from South America, alongside the roughly coeval '' Gondwanax''. Discovery and naming The ''Gamatavus'' holotype specimen, UFSM 11348a, was discovered in the ''Dinodontosaurus'' Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Formation (‘Picada do Gama’ site), dated to the Ladinian–early Carnian stages of the Middle Triassic. It consists of a partial right ilium. A partial left femur and four incomplete vertebrae were found in association with the holotype, but they were not assigned to ''Gamatavus''. In 2022, Pretto et al. described ''Gamatavus antiquus'' as a new genus and species of silesaurid based on these remains. The generic name, "''Gamatav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutionary history, evolution of dinosaurs is a subject of active research. They became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event 201.3 mya and their dominance continued throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record shows that birds are feathered dinosaurs, Evolution of birds, having evolved from earlier Theropoda, theropods during the Late Jurassic epoch, and are the only dinosaur lineage known to have survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event approximately 66 mya. Dinosaurs can therefore be divided into avian dinosaurs—birds—and the extinct non-avian dinosaurs, which are all dinosaurs other than birds. Dinosaurs are varied from taxonomy (biology), taxonomic, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silesaurus
''Silesaurus'' is a genus of silesaurid dinosauriform from the Late Triassic, of what is now Poland. Discovery and naming The Krasiejów claypit near Opole, Poland, was first discovered as a fossil locality in the 1980s after quarrying for a nearby cement plant reached the fossil layer, though scientific excavations began in 1993 with the discovery of an almost complete phytosaur skull by Polish paleontologist Jerzy Dzik. Preliminary investigations identified Krasiejów as a diverse vertebrate assemblage, named the "'' Paleorhinus'' fauna", preserving partially articulated skeletons of amphibians and reptiles, including possible early dinosaurs from the middle to late Carnian. Following these preliminary reports, extensive excavations of Krasiejów were undertaken from 2000 to 2002, collecting numerous skulls, partially articulated skeletons, and isolated remains. An area with dense skeletons was left intact to construct a museum exhibit of the University of Opole around, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacisaurus
''Sacisaurus'' (" Saci lizard") is a silesaurid dinosauriform from the Late Triassic (Norian) Caturrita Formation of southern Brazil. The scientific name, ''Sacisaurus agudoensis'', refers to the city where the species was found, Agudo in the Rio Grande do Sul state, whereas ''Sacisaurus'' refers to Saci, a famous one-legged creature from Brazilian mythology, because among the dozens of fossil material unearthed, 35 right femora were collected whereas only 1 left femur was found. Characteristics ''Sacisaurus'' was approximately long and high, based on the largest femoral specimen. Some elements that were originally mentioned in the description study were reassigned to other taxa afterwards. Its long and strong legs indicate that it was a fast animal. The biggest teeth of the genus were just long. The well-preserved jaw indicates that ''Sacisaurus'' was an herbivore, and there is a process at the tip that resembles the ornithischian predentary bone. Further research att ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
