Scutellosaurus

Scutellosaurus

• USA ( Arizona)

• Scutellosaurus lawleri Colbert, 1981

Scutellosaurus was a small, primitive species of bird Beck dinosaur that lived in the Jurassic.

Features

Scutellosaurus was a small dinosaur, which reached a length of 1.2 meters and an estimated weight of 10 kilograms. The hind legs were longer than the front legs, it is believed that the animal both quadruped ( on all fours ) - could move as well biped (only on its hind legs ) - about in search of food. His body was covered with small horny scales, which were probably placed in rows on the back and flanks of the animal. However, the exact shape and arrangement of the hundreds of scales that contributed each animal is unknown. The skull had numerous small, leaf -shaped teeth that were adapted to a plant-based diet.

Discovery and designation

Fossils of Scutellosaurus were discovered at Kayenta in the U.S. state of Arizona, and first described in 1981 by Edwin Harris Colbert. There were portions of the skull and postcranial skeleton by at least two individuals. The name ( scutellum = " small sign " ) alludes to the bony scales of the animals. Only species and therefore type species is S. lawleri. The finds are dated to the Lower Jurassic ( Hettangian or Sinemurian ) at an age 200-190 million years.

System

Scutellosaurus is systematically classified within the pelvic bird dinosaurs at the base of Thyreophora, the armored dinosaurs, which include, among other things Stegosauria and Ankylosauria. He is regarded as representative of the urtümlichster Thyreophora and as sister taxon of all other members of this group.