Gojirasaurus
Name:
Gojirasaurus
(Gojira lizard).
Phonetic: Go-jee-rah-sore-us.
Named By: Kenneth Carpenter - 1997.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Theropoda, Coelophysoidea.
Species: G. quayi (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Around 5.5 meters long.
Known locations: USA, New Mexico - Bull Canyon
Formation.
Time period: Norian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial post cranial remains
including a tibia and hip.
Mad
props to Kenneth Carpenter for naming a dinosaur Gojirasaurus.
For
those not familiar with the name, Gojira is the name of probably the
most famous Japanese giant monster of all time that in the western
world is better known as Godzilla. A little more information for
fans and film buffs, Gojira is actually a combination of the
Japanese words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira).
Cool
names aside, Gojirasaurus is considered by some
to be a dubious
dinosaur genus. The vertebrae originally assigned to Gojirasaurus
have since been interpreted as belonging to Shuvosaurus.
Other
remains, specifically a tibia and hip are near identical to those of
Coelophysis,
though this genus is only thought to grow up to three
meters long, much smaller than the five and a half meters suggested
for Gojirasaurus. Hopefully further fossil
discoveries can be
discovered in the future that will reveal more detail about these two
dinosaur genera.
Further reading
- A giant coelophysoid (Ceratosauria) theropod from the Upper
Triassic of New Mexico, USA, Kenneth Carpenter - 1997.
- A critical re-evaluation of the Late Triassic dinosaur taxa of North
America, Nesbitt & Parker - 2007
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