Pisanosaurus

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

FACT SHEET: pisanosaurus NAME: PISANOSAURUS (pie-ZAN-o-SOR-us), meaning: "Pisano's Lizard" SIZE: 3 feet long (the size of a small turkey), weighed 15 pounds TYPE OF DIET: Herbivore (plant leaves) WHEN: Mid Triassic period (220 - 175 million years ago) WHERE: Africa and Argentina, South America Pisanosaurus is one of the oldest known herbivorous - or plant-eating - dinosaurs. It lived about 220 million years ago. Being such a primitive dinosaur, Pisanosaurus did not look very different from early carnivores, or meat-eating dinosaurs. They were all closely related at the time. Like the meat-eaters, Pisanosaurus walked on two legs. But Pisanosaurus was not a carnivore. It ate plants. Plant-eaters grew bigger much later in the Triassic period. Then they began to walk on four legs instead of two to carry their heavy bodies. Little is known about this small dinosaur. Only bits and pieces of its skeleton have been found. It had closely-packed pointy teeth that were all about the same size. It probably ate plants. Since it was a very simple dinosaur, it did not have a well-developed stomach. For this reason, Pisanosaurus probably stayed away from the tougher plants and ate ferns and softer leaves instead. Pisanosaurus was about three feet long and one foot high. It weighed about 15 pounds, about the size of a small turkey. It had long, narrow feet and was probably a fast runner. We learn about a dinosaur’s speed by studying their trackways, or footprints they leave behind. If the prints are far apart, then we know that the dinosaur took big steps when it walked. Prints that are close together mean that the dinosaur walked slowly. Pisanosaurus was found in what is now Africa and Argentina. Dinosaur Days TM © 2010 Distant Train, inc. (www.distanttrain.com) all rights reserved.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Ischigualasto Formation. the Second Is a Sile- Diversity Or Abundance, but This Result Was Based on Only 19 of Saurid, Ignotosaurus Fragilis (Fig
This article was downloaded by: [University of Chicago Library] On: 10 October 2013, At: 10:52 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujvp20 Vertebrate succession in the Ischigualasto Formation Ricardo N. Martínez a , Cecilia Apaldetti a b , Oscar A. Alcober a , Carina E. Colombi a b , Paul C. Sereno c , Eliana Fernandez a b , Paula Santi Malnis a b , Gustavo A. Correa a b & Diego Abelin a a Instituto y Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan , España 400 (norte), San Juan , Argentina , CP5400 b Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas , Buenos Aires , Argentina c Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, and Committee on Evolutionary Biology , University of Chicago , 1027 East 57th Street, Chicago , Illinois , 60637 , U.S.A. Published online: 08 Oct 2013. To cite this article: Ricardo N. Martínez , Cecilia Apaldetti , Oscar A. Alcober , Carina E. Colombi , Paul C. Sereno , Eliana Fernandez , Paula Santi Malnis , Gustavo A. Correa & Diego Abelin (2012) Vertebrate succession in the Ischigualasto Formation, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32:sup1, 10-30, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2013.818546 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2013.818546 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content.
[Show full text]
The Anatomy of Asilisaurus Kongwe, a Dinosauriform from the Lifua
THE ANATOMICAL RECORD (2019) The Anatomy of Asilisaurus kongwe,a Dinosauriform from the Lifua Member of the Manda Beds (~Middle Triassic) of Africa 1 2 3 STERLING J. NESBITT , * MAX C. LANGER, AND MARTIN D. EZCURRA 1Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 2Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Sao~ Paulo, Ribeirao~ Preto, Brazil 3Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados CONICET—Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Buenos Aires, Argentina ABSTRACT The diagnosis of Dinosauria and interrelationships of the earliest dino- saurs relies on careful documentation of the anatomy of their closest rela- tives. These close relatives, or dinosaur “precursors,” are typically only documented by a handful of fossils from across Pangea and nearly all speci- mens are typically missing important regions (e.g., forelimbs, pelves, skulls) that appear to be important to help resolving the relationships of dinosaurs. Here, we fully describe the known skeletal elements of Asilisaurus kongwe, a dinosauriform from the Middle Triassic Manda Beds of the Ruhuhu Basin of Tanzania. The taxon is known from many disarticulated and partially articulated remains and, most importantly, from a spectacularly preserved associated skeleton of an individual containing much of the skull, pectoral and pelvic girdles, forelimb and hindlimb, and parts of the vertebral column including much of the tail. The unprecedented detail of the anatomy indi- cates that Asilisaurus kongwe had a unique skull that was short and had both a premaxillary and dentary edentulous margin, but retained a number of character states plesiomorphic for Archosauria, including a crocodylian- like ankle conﬁguration and a rather short foot with well-developed meta- tarsals I and V.
[Show full text]
The Origin and Early Evolution of Dinosaurs
Biol. Rev. (2010), 85, pp. 55–110. 55 doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00094.x The origin and early evolution of dinosaurs Max C. Langer1∗,MartinD.Ezcurra2, Jonathas S. Bittencourt1 and Fernando E. Novas2,3 1Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo; Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil 2Laboratorio de Anatomia Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘‘Bernardino Rivadavia’’, Avda. Angel Gallardo 470, Cdad. de Buenos Aires, Argentina 3CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient´ıficas y Técnicas); Avda. Rivadavia 1917 - Cdad. de Buenos Aires, Argentina (Received 28 November 2008; revised 09 July 2009; accepted 14 July 2009) ABSTRACT The oldest unequivocal records of Dinosauria were unearthed from Late Triassic rocks (approximately 230 Ma) accumulated over extensional rift basins in southwestern Pangea. The better known of these are Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, Pisanosaurus mertii, Eoraptor lunensis,andPanphagia protos from the Ischigualasto Formation, Argentina, and Staurikosaurus pricei and Saturnalia tupiniquim from the Santa Maria Formation, Brazil. No uncontroversial dinosaur body fossils are known from older strata, but the Middle Triassic origin of the lineage may be inferred from both the footprint record and its sister-group relation to Ladinian basal dinosauromorphs. These include the typical Marasuchus lilloensis, more basal forms such as Lagerpeton and Dromomeron, as well as silesaurids: a possibly monophyletic group composed of Mid-Late Triassic forms that may represent immediate sister taxa to dinosaurs. The first phylogenetic definition to fit the current understanding of Dinosauria as a node-based taxon solely composed of mutually exclusive Saurischia and Ornithischia was given as ‘‘all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of birds and Triceratops’’.
[Show full text]
A Phylogenetic Analysis of the Basal Ornithischia (Reptilia, Dinosauria)
A PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE BASAL ORNITHISCHIA (REPTILIA, DINOSAURIA) Marc Richard Spencer A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE December 2007 Committee: Margaret M. Yacobucci, Advisor Don C. Steinker Daniel M. Pavuk © 2007 Marc Richard Spencer All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Margaret M. Yacobucci, Advisor The placement of Lesothosaurus diagnosticus and the Heterodontosauridae within the Ornithischia has been problematic. Historically, Lesothosaurus has been regarded as a basal ornithischian dinosaur, the sister taxon to the Genasauria. Recent phylogenetic analyses, however, have placed Lesothosaurus as a more derived ornithischian within the Genasauria. The Fabrosauridae, of which Lesothosaurus was considered a member, has never been phylogenetically corroborated and has been considered a paraphyletic assemblage. Prior to recent phylogenetic analyses, the problematic Heterodontosauridae was placed within the Ornithopoda as the sister taxon to the Euornithopoda. The heterodontosaurids have also been considered as the basal member of the Cerapoda (Ornithopoda + Marginocephalia), the sister taxon to the Marginocephalia, and as the sister taxon to the Genasauria. To reevaluate the placement of these taxa, along with other basal ornithischians and more derived subclades, a phylogenetic analysis of 19 taxonomic units, including two outgroup taxa, was performed. Analysis of 97 characters and their associated character states culled, modified, and/or rescored from published literature based on published descriptions, produced four most parsimonious trees. Consistency and retention indices were calculated and a bootstrap analysis was performed to determine the relative support for the resultant phylogeny. The Ornithischia was recovered with Pisanosaurus as its basalmost member.
[Show full text]
University of Birmingham a New Dinosaur With
University of Birmingham A new dinosaur with theropod affinities from the Late Triassic Santa Maria Formation, South Brazil Marsola, Julio; Bittencourt, Jonathas; Butler, Richard; Da Rosa, Atila; Sayao, Juliana; Langer, Max DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2018.1531878 License: None: All rights reserved Document Version Peer reviewed version Citation for published version (Harvard): Marsola, J, Bittencourt, J, Butler, R, Da Rosa, A, Sayao, J & Langer, M 2019, 'A new dinosaur with theropod affinities from the Late Triassic Santa Maria Formation, South Brazil', Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol. 38, no. 5, e1531878. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2018.1531878 Link to publication on Research at Birmingham portal Publisher Rights Statement: Checked for eligibility: 25/07/2018 This is the accepted manuscript for a forthcoming publication in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. General rights Unless a licence is specified above, all rights (including copyright and moral rights) in this document are retained by the authors and/or the copyright holders. The express permission of the copyright holder must be obtained for any use of this material other than for purposes permitted by law. •Users may freely distribute the URL that is used to identify this publication. •Users may download and/or print one copy of the publication from the University of Birmingham research portal for the purpose of private study or non-commercial research. •User may use extracts from the document in line with the concept of ‘fair dealing’ under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (?) •Users may not further distribute the material nor use it for the purposes of commercial gain.
[Show full text]
A Re-Evaluation of the Enigmatic Dinosauriform Caseosaurus Crosbyensis from the Late Triassic of Texas, USA and Its Implications for Early Dinosaur Evolution
A re-evaluation of the enigmatic dinosauriform Caseosaurus crosbyensis from the Late Triassic of Texas, USA and its implications for early dinosaur evolution MATTHEW G. BARON and MEGAN E. WILLIAMS Baron, M.G. and Williams, M.E. 2018. A re-evaluation of the enigmatic dinosauriform Caseosaurus crosbyensis from the Late Triassic of Texas, USA and its implications for early dinosaur evolution. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 63 (1): 129–145. The holotype specimen of the Late Triassic dinosauriform Caseosaurus crosbyensis is redescribed and evaluated phylogenetically for the first time, providing new anatomical information and data on the earliest dinosaurs and their evolution within the dinosauromorph lineage. Historically, Caseosaurus crosbyensis has been considered to represent an early saurischian dinosaur, and often a herrerasaur. More recent work on Triassic dinosaurs has cast doubt over its supposed dinosaurian affinities and uncertainty about particular features in the holotype and only known specimen has led to the species being regarded as a dinosauriform of indeterminate position. Here, we present a new diagnosis for Caseosaurus crosbyensis and refer additional material to the taxon—a partial right ilium from Snyder Quarry. Our com- parisons and phylogenetic analyses suggest that Caseosaurus crosbyensis belongs in a clade with herrerasaurs and that this clade is the sister taxon of Dinosauria, rather than positioned within it. This result, along with other recent analyses of early dinosaurs, pulls apart what remains of the “traditional” group of dinosaurs collectively termed saurischians into a polyphyletic assemblage and implies that Dinosauria should be regarded as composed exclusively of Ornithoscelida (Ornithischia + Theropoda) and Sauropodomorpha. In addition, our analysis recovers the enigmatic European taxon Saltopus elginensis among herrerasaurs for the first time.
[Show full text]
A Revision of the Upper Triassic Ornithischian Dinosaur Revueltosaurus, with a Description of a New Species
Heckert, A.B" and Lucas, S.O., eds., 2002, Upper Triassic Stratigraphy and Paleontology. New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin No.2 J. 253 A REVISION OF THE UPPER TRIASSIC ORNITHISCHIAN DINOSAUR REVUELTOSAURUS, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES ANDREW B. HECKERT New Mexico Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104-1375 Abstract-Ornithischian dinosaur body fossils are extremely rare in Triassic rocks worldwide, and to date the majority of such fossils consist of isolated teeth. Revueltosaurus is the most common Upper Triassic ornithischian dinosaur and is known from Chinle Group strata in New Mexico and Arizona. Historically, all large (>1 cm tall) and many small ornithischian dinosaur teeth from the Chinle have been referred to the type species, Revueltosaurus callenderi Hunt. A careful re-examination of the type and referred material of Revueltosaurus callenderi reveals that: (1) R. callenderi is a valid taxon, in spite of cladistic arguments to the contrary; (2) many teeth previously referred to R. callenderi, particularly from the Placerias quarry, instead represent other, more basal, ornithischians; and (3) teeth from the vicinity of St. Johns, Arizona, and Lamy, New Mexico previously referred to R. callenderi pertain to a new spe cies, named Revueltosaurus hunti here. R. hunti is more derived than R. callenderi and is one of the most derived Triassic ornithischians. However, detailed biostratigraphy indicates that R. hunti is older (Adamanian: latest Carnian) than R. callenderi (Revueltian: early-mid Norian). Both taxa have great potential as index taxa of their respective faunachrons and support existing biochronologies based on other tetrapods, megafossil plants, palynostratigraphy, and lithostratigraphy.
[Show full text]
Lesothosaurus, "Fabrosaurids," and the Early Evolution of Ornithischia Author(S): Paul C
Lesothosaurus, "Fabrosaurids," and the Early Evolution of Ornithischia Author(s): Paul C. Sereno Source: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Jun. 20, 1991), pp. 168-197 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4523370 Accessed: 28-01-2019 13:42 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Taylor & Francis, Ltd. are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology This content downloaded from 69.80.65.67 on Mon, 28 Jan 2019 13:42:40 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 11(2): 168-197, June 1991 © 1991 by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology LESOTHOSAURUS, "FABROSAURIDS," AND THE EARLY EVOLUTION OF ORNITHISCHIA PAUL C. SERENO Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, 1025 E. 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637 ABSTRACT -New materials of Lesothosaurus diagnosticus permit a detailed understanding of one of the earliest and most primitive ornithischians. Skull proportions and sutural relations can be discerned from several articulated and disarticulated skulls. The snout is proportionately long with a vascularized, horn-covered tip.
[Show full text]
Untangling the Dinosaur Family Tree
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS ARISING Untangling the dinosaur family tree ARISING FROM M. G. Baron, D. B. Norman & P. M. Barrett Nature 543, 501–506 (2017); doi:10.1038/nature21700 For over a century, the standard classification scheme has split dino- and Templeton tests show no significant differences between the two saurs into two fundamental groups1: ‘lizard-hipped’ saurischians hypotheses (see Supplementary Information). (including meat-eating theropods and long-necked sauropodomorphs) Character scoring changes explain our different results. They also and ‘bird-hipped’ ornithischians (including a variety of herbivorous alter the optimisation of the 21 putative ornithoscelidan synapomor- species)2–4. In a recent paper, Baron et al.5 challenged this paradigm phies proposed by Baron et al.5 (see Supplementary Information), with a new phylogenetic analysis that places theropods and ornithis- revealing that many have a complex distribution among early dino- chians together in a group called Ornithoscelida, to the exclusion of saurs. Some are not only present in ornithoscelidans, but can also be sauropodomorphs, and used their phylogeny to argue that dinosaurs found more broadly among early dinosaurs, including herrerasaurids may have originated in northern Pangaea, not in the southern part of and sauropodomorphs. Others are absent in many early diverging the supercontinent, as has more commonly been considered6,7. Here ornithoscelidans and probably evolved independently in later ornith- we evaluate and reanalyse the morphological dataset underpinning ischians and theropods. Several of the characters used by Baron et al.5 the proposal by Baron et al.5 and provide quantitative biogeographic have uninformative distributions, are poorly defined and/or completely analyses, which challenge the key results of their study by recovering a or partially duplicate one another (see Supplementary Information).
[Show full text]
The Segnosaurian Dinosaurs: Relics of the Prosauropod-Ornithischian Transition?
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 4(4):507-515, December 1984 THE SEGNOSAURIAN DINOSAURS: RELICS OF THE PROSAUROPOD-ORNITHISCHIAN TRANSITION? GREGORY S. PAUL Department of Earth & Planetary Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 ABSTRACT -SeGnosaurus Perle, 1979, and Erlikosaurus Barsbold & Perle, 1980, are recently de- scribed dinosaurs of unusual form from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Both taxa are medium-sized herbivores with small skulls, beaks, spatulate teeth, retroverted pubes, ·and broad four-digit hindfeet. Barsbold and Perle consider them to be theropods. However, the feet of segnosaurs are much less derived than are the bird-like feet of theropods. Further, the segnosaurs do not.show any distinctive theropod-like characters that justify their assignment to this group. They appear, instead, to be derived prosauropods with a number of early ornithischian adaptations. Notable among these ornithischian- like adaptations are their beaked jaws with cheeks. A cladistic comparison of the segnosaurs with thecodonts and early dinosaurs ofthe Triassic suggeststhat, despite their late appearance, the segnosaurs are phylogenetic intermediates between herbivorous prosauropods and early ornithischians. As such the segnosaurs strengthen the hypothesis of dinosaur monophyly. Segnosaurs cannot be placed in the theropods, but traditional schemes of dinosaur classification do not recognize the possibility of dinosaur monophyly. Here the segnosaurs are considered to represent a clade between the prosauropods and ornithischians. INTRODUCTION a new infraorder, the Segnosauria. Romer (1966) de- finesthe Theropoda as those dinosaurs that have blade- Whether dinosaurs arose from one or from muitiple like teeth, bird-like hindfeet and are obligatory bipeds. thecodont ancestors is an important issue of dinosaur This is an excellent minimal definition of the theropod phylogeny (Bakker and Galton, 1974; Bakker, 1975; clade.
[Show full text]
ARTICLE Doi:10.1038/Nature21700
ARTICLE doi:10.1038/nature21700 A new hypothesis of dinosaur relationships and early dinosaur evolution Matthew G. Baron1,2, David B. Norman1 & Paul M. Barrett2 For 130 years, dinosaurs have been divided into two distinct clades—Ornithischia and Saurischia. Here we present a hypothesis for the phylogenetic relationships of the major dinosaurian groups that challenges the current consensus concerning early dinosaur evolution and highlights problematic aspects of current cladistic definitions. Our study has found a sister-group relationship between Ornithischia and Theropoda (united in the new clade Ornithoscelida), with Sauropodomorpha and Herrerasauridae (as the redefined Saurischia) forming its monophyletic outgroup. This new tree topology requires redefinition and rediagnosis of Dinosauria and the subsidiary dinosaurian clades. In addition, it forces re-evaluations of early dinosaur cladogenesis and character evolution, suggests that hypercarnivory was acquired independently in herrerasaurids and theropods, and offers an explanation for many of the anatomical features previously regarded as notable convergences between theropods and early ornithischians. During the Middle to Late Triassic period, the ornithodiran archosaur ornithischian monophyly9,11,14. As a result, these studies have incorpo- lineage split into a number of ecologically and phylogenetically distinct rated numerous, frequently untested, prior assumptions with regard to groups, including pterosaurs, silesaurids and dinosaurs, each charac- dinosaur (and particularly ornithischian)
[Show full text]
Exhibition Overview
smm.org/travelingexhibits EXHIBITION OVERVIEW Ultimate Dinosaurs showcases some of the most spectacular dinosaur discoveries and highlights cutting-edge scientific research from the Southern Hemisphere over the last two decades. Why were southern dinosaurs so unique, bizarre, and different from their better known North American counterparts? Focusing on the dinosaurs of the Southern Hemisphere, including South America, Africa, and Madagascar, this exhibition shows how continental drift altered the landscape of the ancient world and set the stage for the evolution of these bizarre creatures. A Hands-On Touring Exhibition: 10,000 – 14,000 sq. ft. / 14’6” height minimum 12-week & 24-week rental periods available Bilingual – English & French Target Audience: Kindergarten through Adult Highlighted Curriculum Topics: Paleontology Evolutionary Biology Tectonics Geology Ecology Section 1: Introduction The Supercontinent of Pangaea and the Origin of Dinosaurs 250 Million Years Ago... There was Pangaea Dinosaurs first appeared during the Triassic Period, when all the land masses of the Earth were concentrated in a supercontinent called Pangaea. These early dinosaurs were generally similar to one Europe another, and there were no major ocean barriers to stop them moving from one place to another. Through dinosaur discoveries in Argentina, paleontologists have used the fossil record to tell the story of the origin of dinosaurs. North America Although dinosaurs emerged in the Triassic, they were not the dominant land animals at that time. A number of large and non-dinosaur reptile groups, such as the cynodonts, Africa rhynchosaurs, and crurotarsans, were much larger and more numerous, and may have preyed upon some of these early dinosaurs.
[Show full text]