Claosaurus
Claosaurus at the Peabody Museum, Yale University
- North America ( Niobrara Formation, Kansas)
- Claosaurus agilis
Claosaurus (gr. "broken lizard" ) is a genus of hadrosaur ( Hadrosauridae ) from the Campanian ( Upper Cretaceous ) of the United States. It is only described the type species C. agilis scientifically.
Description
Claosaurus was a relatively small hadrosaur with a body length of about 3.7 meters. The body was lean, long legs. The toes and the teeth do not differ from the original Hadrosauriern as Telmatosaurus, Gilmoreosaurus and Iguanodontia.
The fossil record of Claosaurus limited so far to a single contiguous skeleton with associated individual skull bones in the Niobrara - lime from the Campanian ( Upper Cretaceous ) in Kansas (USA ), near the Smoky Hill River, were found.
Paleobiology
Over the life of Claosaurus No data available. Unlike most other hadrosaur skeleton of Claosaurus was found in marine deposits, it is likely to reflect that he lived near the sea. Besides Claosaurus fossils belonging to the genera ankylosauruses Nodosaurus and Niobrarasaurus were (described as Hierosaurus ) found in the Niobrara chalk.
System
Claosaurus was first described by Othniel Charles Marsh as Hadrosaurus agilis and 1890 transferred to the distinct genus Claosaurus of him because of new fossil parts. It probably represents an early hadrosaur from the relationship of Gilmoreosaurus, a more accurate assignment within the group, however, as in other genera ( Tanius, Secernosaurus ), due to the sparse material currently not available.
Within the genus, only the type species Claosaurus agilis is considered valid during the type described as C. affinis nomen dubium of an Edmontosaurus regalis and C. annectens annectens is considered as a synonym of Edmontosaurus.