Gojirasaurus

Live reconstruction of Gojirasaurus

• North America (New Mexico)

• Gojirasaurus quayi

Gojirasaurus ( " Godzilla lizard"; japゴジラ( Gojira ) - Godzilla, gr: sauros - lizard ) is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the early period of the Upper Triassic of North America. Only the type species G. quayi was scientifically described in 1997 by Kenneth Carpenter, together with the genus.

Gojirasaurus was described in 1997 based on an incomplete fossil skeleton of a young animal. Among the finds were teeth, some vertebrae and a shoulder blade, as well as rib bones (also belly ribs ( Gastralia ) ), the pubic bone ( the foremost of the three pelvic bones ), Chevronknochen and metatarsals. The genus name refers to " Gojira ", the Japanese name for the movie monster Godzilla. The epithet of the species is the locality in Quay County, New Mexico U.S. state. The not yet mature (semi adult ) animal had an estimated length of 5.5 meters. With these dimensions Gojirasaurus was one of the largest known Coelophysiden and the largest predatory dinosaurs of the Triassic period.

However, many authors consider the genre unlike Carpenter not as Coelophysiden, but as a representative of the broader Coelophysoidea.