Pegomastax

Pegomastax ("strong jaw") is a genus of small heterodontosaur dinosaur discovered in Lower Jurassic rocks in South Africa. It is based on a skull in the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town.

Pegomastax
Temporal range: Early Jurassic,
Pegomastax africana reconstruction.jpg
Scientific classification
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Pegomastax

Sereno, 2012
Lower jaws of specimen SAM-PK-K10488

It was collected during a 1966–1967 expedition but not named and described until recently. Paul Sereno, who had recognized it as unusual in the 1980s, published a description in 2012. The type species is P. africana. Pegomastax differed from other heterodontosaurs by details of the skull. The lower jaw was robust, with a short beak. Like most other heterodontosaurs, Pegomastax had an enlarged canine-like tooth at the beginning of the lower jaw's tooth row, which may have been used for defence.[1] The rest of its teeth were those of a herbivore.[2]

References

  1. Sereno, Paul C. (2012). "Taxonomy, morphology, masticatory function and phylogeny of heterodontosaurid dinosaurs". ZooKeys. 226: 1–225. doi:10.3897/zookeys.226.2840. {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |lay-source= (help); External link in |laysummary= (help); Unknown parameter |laydate= ignored (|lay-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |laysource= ignored (|lay-source= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |laysummary= ignored (|lay-url= suggested) (help)
  2. BBC News: Science & Environment. Dwarf 'vampire' dinosaur was a plant eater. [1]