Parksosaurus
Live reconstruction of Parksosaurus warreni
- North America (Canada )
- Parksosaurus warreni ( Parks, 1926)
Parksosaurus ( "Parks ' lizard ) is a genus of bird Beck dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous North American (early Maastrichtian ).
He belongs to the Hypsilophodontidae, a group of small herbivores. The only type ( type species ) is scientifically described Parksosaurus warreni.
Description
Parksosaurus reached a length of about 2.5 meters and weighed about as much as a modern-day wolf. The teeth of the animal with its low, rounded ridges are unique among all known bird Beck dinosaurs.
As with all Hypsilophodontiden his defense strategy was focused on the flight. He could probably accelerate well and escape in this way.
Fossil finds
Fossils of the genus are from the Maastrichtian of Alberta, Canada. The skeleton of the type species P. warreni has the catalog number ROM 804 There is a partial skeleton. Type locality is the Rumsey Ferry Road with a terrestrially deposited sandstone from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. From Parksosaurus an incomplete skull was found. The left side of the skull was at the Fund still in situ and is well preserved, but the right side was exposed to weathering and is broken.
Naming
William Parks, published 1926, the first description of a new species and placed it in the genus Thescelosaurus. Charles Mortram Sternberg ordered the way in his work of 1937, he re- established the genus Parksosaurus. Thescelosaurus and Parksosaurus are closely related.