Manidens: Research Database
Heterodontosauridae (Ornithischia) · Middle Jurassic (~168 MYA) · South America — Argentina (Cañadón del Toropí Formation)
Research Note: Manidens was a heterodontosaurid from the Middle Jurassic of Argentina. As a South American heterodontosaurid, it provides important data on the global distribution of early ornithischian dinosaurs.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pol & Rauhut 2012: Manidens and heterodontosaurid diversity in the Jurassic of Argentina
Pol & Rauhut 2012 describe Manidens from the Middle Jurassic of Argentina, establishing it as a heterodontosaurid and documenting its significance for understanding heterodontosaurid diversity and the global distribution of early ornithischian dinosaurs
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Confirmed | A | 2012 | Fossil | Pol & Rauhut, Naturwissenschaften | Taxonomy |
|
Holwerda et al. 2023: Additional data on heterodontosaurid diversity from the Jurassic of South America
Holwerda et al. 2023 provide additional data on heterodontosaurid diversity from the Jurassic of South America, contextualising Manidens within the broader evolutionary history of early ornithischian dinosaurs
|
Confirmed | B | 2023 | Fossil | Holwerda et al., Spanish Journal of Palaeontology | Diversity |
Active Debate: Heterodontosaurid Phylogeny and Early Ornithischian Evolution
Whether heterodontosaurids are basal ornithischians is debated.
What We Still Do Not Know About Manidens
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Body mass: Estimated.
- Diet: Likely omnivorous.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
In Depth
Manidens is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur that lived in Argentina during the Late Cretaceous. As a heterodontosaurid dinosaur, Manidens had a combination of differently formed teeth within the mouth, and for this reason Manidens is often considered to have been omnivorous, however, so far no stomach contents have been identified to confirm this.
Further Reading
- A Middle Jurassic heterodontosaurid dinosaur from Patagonia and the evolution of heterodontosaurids. Naturwissenschaften 98:369-379. - D. Pol, O. W. M. Rauhut & M. Becerra - 2011.
