Camptosaurus

Reconstruction of Camptosaurus

• Europe
• North America

• Camptosaurus amplus
• Camptosaurus depressus
• Camptosaurus dispar
• Camptosaurus pretswichii

Camptosaurus ( "lizard with flexible spine " ) is a genus of bird Beck dinosaur ( Ornithischia ) from the group of Iguanodontia. The different types lived in the Upper Jurassic ( Kimmeridgian to early Tithonian ) of Europe and North America. Camptosaurus reached a body length of up to seven meters and a weight of 1,700 kilograms. Type species C. dispar.

Description

The herbivores had a long, broad skull and tapering to a horny beak. In him was next spike-like teeth and a long tongue with which he was able to pull small branches into the mouth. Erect on his hind legs he reached high points of leaves and twigs and was able to hold on with his powerful forelegs his food.

Since Camptosaurus but also had small hooves on the fingers, is to assume that he has briefly also quadrupedal moves ( quadruped ). The thighs of the dinosaur were slightly bent which his massive hind legs strengthened and enabled him to escape in case of danger at high speed.

Naming

The genus in 1879 by Othniel Charles Marsh ( 1831-1899 ) described as Camptonotus (Greek: kamptos - " pliable, flexible"; sauros "lizard "). He chose this name because he diagnosed wrongly, that the sacral vertebrae of the pelvis were not common as dinosaurs grow together to form a stable unit together. He changed the generic name in 1885 because it was already assigned to a genus of long- horned crickets.

Paläobiogeografie

Camptosaurus is a fairly well- known dinosaur genus, belonging to the four species because of its many findings in different age stages. Three are from the North American Morrison Formation in the United States ( states of Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming); C. pretswichii, found near Oxford, is regarded as the only indubitable proof of the genus outside of North America and supports the theory of a land bridge between this continent and Europe during the Upper Jurassic.