Massospondylus
Massospondylus was a dinosaur from the Upper Triassic to the Lower Jurassic periods. It was described by Richard Owen in 1854. It is one of the first dinosaurs to have been named. The remains were found in South Africa.
| Massospondylus Temporal range: Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic
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| Massospondylus | |
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| Genus: | Massospondylus Owen, 1854
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The dinosaur was bipedal. It was probably a plant eater (herbivore).[1]
Massospondylus Media
Skull of the neotype specimen (BP/1/4934) of M. carinatus
Fossils identified by Broom in 1911 as Gryponyx, M. carinatus, M. harriesi, and Aetonyx, all now thought to be M. carinatus
Size comparison of Massospondylus and a human. Based on Hartman's skeletal.
Life restoration of a bipedal adult M. carinatus
Diagram of the skull of Massospondylus, showing the various skull openings.
Reconstructed skeleton in Iziko Museum
- Riojasaurussketch
Jingshanosaurus xinwaensis
Restoration the Glacialisaurus hammeri
Massospondylus reconstruction
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References
- ↑ Bonnan, Matthew F. & Phil Senter 2007. Were the basal sauropodomorph dinosaurs Plateosaurus and Massospondylus habitual quadrupeds?. In Paul M. Barrett & D.J. Batten (eds) Evolution and palaeobiology of early sauropodomorph dinosaurs. Special Papers in Palaeontology. London: The Palaeontological Association. pp. 139–155. ISBN 978-1-4051-6933-2
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Wikispecies has information on: Massospondylus. |