Paraxenisaurus

Pa-rah-ze-ne-sor-us.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Paraxenisaurus ‭(‬strange lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Pa-rah-ze-ne-sor-us.

Named By

Claudia In�s Serrano-Bra�as,‭ ‬Belinda Espinosa-Ch�vez,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Augusta Maccracken,‭ ‬Cirene Guti�rrez-Blando,‭ ‬Claudio de Le�n-D�vila‭ & ‬Jos� Flores Ventura‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Ornithomimosauria,‭ ‬Deinocheiridae.

Diet

Herbivore‭?

Species

P.‭ ‬normalensis‭

Size

Uncertain but roughly estimated to be about‭ ‬5.7‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Mexico,‭ ‬Coahuila‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cerro del Pueblo Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial skeleton including femur‭ (‬thigh bone‭)‬,‭ ‬astragalus‭ (‬ankle‭) ‬and a‭ ‬partial foot and hand.‭ ‬Some vertebrae also known.

In Depth

       Paraxenisaurus is a genus of deinocheirid dinosaur that lived in Mexico during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬Deinocheirid dinosaurs like Paraxenisaurus are a special sub group of ornithomimosaurs that are more similar to the Deinocheirus genus‭ (‬Deinocheirus was for a long time known only from a gigantic pair of arms until the early twenty-first century when more complete skeletons were found‭)‬.‭ ‬Paraxenisaurus is the first deinocheirid dinosaur discovered in North America.‭ ‬Before this discovery all other deinocheirid dinosaurs were only known in Asia.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Paraxenisaurus normalensis,‭ ‬a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation‭ (‬Upper Cretaceous‭)‬,‭ ‬Coahuila,‭ ‬Mexico.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of South American Earth Sciences.‭ ‬101.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Claudia In�s Serrano-Bra�as,‭ ‬Belinda Espinosa-Ch�vez,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Augusta Maccracken,‭ ‬Cirene Guti�rrez-Blando,‭ ‬Claudio de Le�n-D�vila‭ & ‬Jos� Flores Ventura‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.

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