Blikanasaurus
Name:
Blikanasaurus
(Blikana lizard).
Phonetic: Blik-ah-nah-sore-us.
Named By: Galton and van Heerden - 1985.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha.
Species: B. cromptoni
(type).
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Unknown due to lack of fossils.
Known locations: South Africa - Cape Province
- Elliot Formation.
Time period: Late Triassic.
Fossil representation: Left lower hind leg.
Although
only known from a single limb section, a lot can actually be inferred
about this dinosaur. One is that the shape and form of the limb
reveals it is from a sauropodomorph dinosaur, better known as the
ancestors of the sauropods like the later Apatosaurus
and
Camarasaurus.
In additional the foot is proportionately much shorter
than earlier forms which reveals that Blikanasaurus
was probably
quadrupedal for most if not all of the time (earlier sauropodomorphs
are generally regarded as switching between quadrupedal and bipedal
postures as the situation dictated). Also, since the
Blikanasaurus holotype comes from a late Triassic
age deposit in South
Africa, it reinforces the theory that the dinosaurs had their point
of origin in South America and then radiated out across the globe when
the continents were still mostly joined together.
However,
while Blikanasaurus is a sauropodomorph, it was
probably not an
ancestor of the later sauropod giants that were common by the late
Jurassic. The Blikanasaurus holotype also reveals
the fifth toe is
severely reduced in size to what it was in later forms. This
indicates that Blikanasaurus was probably an
evolutionary side branch
that terminated without any long lasting descendants because the later
sauropods are so far all known to have well developed fifth toes to
assist with weight bearing.
Further Reading
- Partial hindlimb of Blikanasaurus cromptoni n. gen. And n.
Sp.,representing a new family of prosauropod dinosaurs from the upper
triassic of South Africa. - Geobios. 18 (4): 509–516. - Peter M. Galton
& Jacques Van Heerden - 1985.
- A second specimen of Blikanasaurus (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) and the
biostratigraphy of the lower Elliot Formation. - Palaeontologia
Africana. 43. - Adam M. Yates - 2008.
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