Talos (dinosaur)

Artistic live representation of Talos

• Utah, USA ( Kaiparowits Formation)

Talos is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the group of Troodontidae. So far, a single fragmentary skeleton is known, which dates from the Kaiparowits Formation in the south of the U.S. state of Utah and the Upper Cretaceous (Upper Campanian ) is dated. The Fund, which consists mainly of the pelvis and hind legs, represents one of the most complete troodontids finds from North America. The only way is Talos sampsoni.

The first description was in September 2011 by researchers at Lindsay Zanno in the journal Plos One Biology. Thus, this represents the first scientific genus vacancy on North American troodontids for 75 years represents the genus was named after Talos, a bronze giant of Greek mythology. Talos is also a play on the English word talon ( " strongly curved claw "). The second part of the species name, sampsoni, honors Scott D. Sampson, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Utah and organizer of the research project to explore the Kaiparowits formation.

The only specimen is estimated at a body length of two meters and a height of about 60 centimeters, the weight of about 38 kilograms. Thus, this species was significantly smaller than the contemporary Related Troodon. Springs are not preserved; as springs, however, were detected in related genera, it is believed that Talos was wearing a spring dress. As with related genera was located on the second toe of the foot a strongly curved and enlarged " sickle claw". When skeleton found the first phalanx of the second toe showed clear signs of injury during the lifetime of the animal, which has been accompanied by inflammation and Wiederverheilung. The fact that the injury is healed successfully ( for a long period ), it is interpreted that the second toe for the movement of the animal was not essential. This assumption is supported by fossil footprints show that the second toe of troodontids was kept running across the floor - the animals were thus functionally zweizehig.