Aloposaurus

A-lop-loe-sore-us.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Aloposaurus ‭(‬Fox lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

A-lop-loe-sore-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Gorgonopsia.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬gracilis‭

Size

Skull‭ ‬12‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬total body length estimate at around‭ ‬60-70‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

South Africa,‭ ‬Karoo Basin.

Time Period

Wuchiapingian of the‭ ‬Permian.

Fossil representation

Based upon a single skull of a possibly juvenile individual.‭ ‬Remains of second species identified.

In Depth

       A fairly small gorgonopsid therapsid,‭ ‬Aloposaurus was represented by only a weather eroded skull until the addition of a second species in‭ ‬1953.‭ ‬This came about from a study that found another genus called Aloposauroides was actually the same as Aloposaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Observations on some specimens of South African Fossil Reptiles preserved in the British Museum,‭ ‬Robert broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1910.

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