Spinophorosaurus
| Spinophorosaurus Temporal range: Middle Jurassic?,
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Gravisauria |
| Genus: | †Spinophorosaurus Remes et al., 2009 |
| Species: | †S. nigerensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Spinophorosaurus nigerensis Remes et al., 2009
| |
Spinophorosaurus (meaning 'spine-bearing lizard') is a genus of early sauropod dinosaur from Niger.
Description
It was about 13 metres (43 ft) long and weighed about 7 metric tons (7.7 short tons).[1] It is unusual for having spiked osteoderms, probably from the tail, similar to the famed thagomizer of stegosaurs.
A study of its braincase showed that its neuroanatomy was in some ways intermediate between that of basal sauropodomorphs and that of neosauropods.[2]
Discovery
It was recovered in a rock formation belonging to the lower part of the Argiles de l'Irhazer the age of which is unknown but may be Middle Jurassic or older. The type species, S. nigerensis, was described by Remes et al. in 2009.[3]
References
- ^ Paul, G.S., 2010, The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Princeton University Press p. 173
- ^ Knoll, F.; Witmer, L. M.; Ortega, F.; Ridgely, R. C.; Schwarz-Wings, D. (2012). Farke, Andrew A (ed.). "The Braincase of the Basal Sauropod Dinosaur Spinophorosaurus and 3D Reconstructions of the Cranial Endocast and Inner Ear". PLoS ONE. 7 (1): e30060. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030060. PMC 3260197. PMID 22272273.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Remes, K.; Ortega, F.; Fierro, I.; Joger, U.; Kosma, R.; Ferrer, J.M.M. (2009). "A new basal sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Niger and the early evolution of sauropoda". PLoS ONE. 4 (9): e6924. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006924. PMC 2737122. PMID 19756139.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
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