Falcarius

Fal-ca-ree-us.
Published on

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

Falcarius (Sickle cutter).

Phonetic

Fal-ca-ree-us.

Named By

Kirkland - 2005.

Classification

Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Coelurosauria, Therizinosauroidea.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

F. utahensis

Size

3.7 - 4 meters long.

Known locations

U.S.A., Utah, Cedar Mountain Formation.

Time Period

Barremian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Several individuals.

In Depth

       Falcarius is a transitory species of therizinosaur that marks the change from meat eating to plant eating behaviour. Falcarius is considered by some to have eaten both making it an omnivore, although the leaf shaped teeth seem to be more suited to a herbivorous diet.

Further Reading

– A primitive therizinosauroid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Utah. – Nature, 435: 84-87. – J. I. Kirkland, L. E. Zanno, S. D. Sampson, J. M. Clark & D. D. DeBlieux – 2005. – Ontogeny and life history of Falcarius utahensis, a primitive therizinosauroid from the Early Cretaceous of Utah, – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 26(3): 143A. – L. E. Zanno & G. M. Erickson – 2006. – The pectoral girle and forelimb of the primitive therizinosauroid Falcarius utahensis (Theropoda, Maniraptora): Analyzing evolutionary trends within Therizinosauroidea, – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 26(3): 636-650. – L. E. Zanno – 2006. – New information on the braincase of the North American Therizinosaurian (Theropoda, Maniraptora) Falcarius utahensis. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 31(2): 387-404 – David K. Smith, Lindsay E. Zanno, R. Kent Sanders, Donald D. DeBlieux & James I. Kirkland – 2011.

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