Panphagia

Name: Panphagia ‭(‬eat all‭)‬.
Phonetic: Pan-fah-eg-ah.
Named By: R.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Martínez‭ & ‬O.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Alcober‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha.
Species: P.‭ ‬protos‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Omnivore‭?
Size: Holotype estimated to be about‭ ‬1.3‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬though fully grown adults were almost certainly larger.
Known locations: Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ischigualasto Formation.
Time period: Carnian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and post cranial skeletal remains.




       Panphagia has been popularly perceived to have been an omnivore,‭ ‬an analysis based upon examination of the teeth.‭ ‬This is mainly because the teeth towards the rear of the mouth are broader and leaf shaped,‭ ‬better suited for slicing through plant material.‭ ‬The teeth‭ ‬at the front however are still better for processing meat.‭ ‬Without mixed stomach contains however,‭ ‬the idea of Panphagia being an Omnivore remains speculation,‭ ‬though with that said,‭ ‬it cannot be claimed that Panphagia was either a carnivore or an herbivore.‭ ‬What is known is that the sauropodomorph dinosaurs are the link between early theropod dinosaurs that were‭ ‬meat eaters,‭ ‬and later sauropod dinosaurs that were plant eaters.‭ ‬At some point in sauropodomorph evolution,‭ ‬the sauropodomorphs must have made the switch from a meat exclusive diet to a plant exclusive one,‭ ‬and there is no good reason to assume that Panphagia might not be a representative of this change.
       Panphagia is also perceived to have been a primitive sauropodomorph dinosaur that is also noted as being similar to Saturnalia.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A basal sauropodomorph‭ (‬Dinosauria:‭ ‬Saurischia‭) ‬from the Ischigualasto Formation‭ (‬Triassic,‭ ‬Carnian‭) ‬and the early evolution of Sauropodomorpha.‭ ‬PLoS ONE‭ ‬4‭(‬2‭ (‬e4397‭))‬:1-12.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Martínez‭ & ‬O.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Alcober‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random favourites