Eucoelophysis

Yew-see-lo-fy-siss.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Name

Eucoelophysis ‭(‬True hollow form‭)‬.

Phonetic

Yew-see-lo-fy-siss.

Named By

R.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Sullivan‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Lucas‭ ‬-‭ ‬1999.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauromorpha,‭ ‬Dinosauriformes,‭ ‬Silesauridae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬baldwini‭

Size

Roughly estimated at about‭ ‬1.4‭ ‬-‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬New Mexico‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chinle Formation.

Time Period

Norian to Rhaetian of the‭ ‬Triassic.

Fossil representation

Partial remains of at least two individuals.

In Depth

       Eucoelophysis was initially named upon the basis of a proposed similarity to coelophysid dinosaurs like Coelophysis,‭ ‬hence the name Eucoelophysis which means‭ ‘‬true hollow form‭’‬.‭ ‬However a later study by Nesbitt,‭ ‬Irmis and Parker revealed that Eucoelophysis is not a true dinosaur like Coelophysis,‭ ‬but rather a more primitive dinosauriform similar to Silesaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Eucoelophysis baldwini,‭ ‬a new theropod dinosaur from the Upper Triassic of New Mexico,‭ ‬and the status of the original types of Coelophysis.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬19‭(‬1‭)‬:81-90.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Sullivan‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Lucas‭ ‬-‭ ‬1999. -‭ ‬A critical review of the Triassic North American dinosaur record,‭ ‬by S.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Nesbitt,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Irmis‭ & ‬W.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Parker‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.‭ ‬In,‭ ‬II Congresso Latino-Americano de Paleontologia de Vertebrados,‭ ‬Boletim de Resumos.‭ ‬Rio de Janeiro,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Kellner,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Henriques‭ & ‬T.‭ ‬Rodrigues‭ (‬eds‭)‬. -‭ ‬A critical re-evaluation of the Late Triassic dinosaur taxa of North America.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Systematic Palaeontology,‭ ‬5:209-243.‭ ‬-‭ ‬S.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Nesbitt,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Irmis‭ & ‬W.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Parker‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

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