Horshamosaurus

Hor-sham-o-sore-us.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Horshamosaurus ‭(‬Horsham lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Hor-sham-o-sore-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophora,‭ ‬Ankylosauria.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

H.‭ ‬rudgwickensis‭

Size

Roughly estimated at about‭ ‬5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

England‭ ‬-‭ ‬Weald Clay Formation.

Time Period

Barremian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial skeletal remains including limb bones vertebrae ribs and armour plates.

In Depth

       When fossils of Horshamosaurus were first discovered they were originally interpreted as coming from Iguanodon,‭ ‬but in‭ ‬1996‭ ‬they were re-described as a species of Polacanthus by William Blows.‭ ‬However in‭ ‬2015‭ ‬Blows re-described this species as a whole new genus named Horshamosaurus,‭ ‬citing clear differences in the vertebrae and armour.‭ ‬At the time of writing Horshamosaurus is credited as being a member of the Ankylosauria,‭ ‬though not necessarily a close relative of Polacanthus.‭ ‬Unfortunately the incomplete preservation of remains makes a more certain distinction hard to establish,‭ ‬and currently most reconstructions of Horshamosaurus have the genus as Polacanthus-like given we know that these types of thyreophoran dinosaurs were common in the world during the early Cretaceous.‭ ‬Horshamosaurus itself would have been a browser of low growing vegetation that relied upon thick bony scales called osteoderms to protect it from the teeth and claws of predatory dinosaurs.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new species of Polacanthus‭ (‬Ornithischia‭; ‬Ankylosauria‭) ‬from the Lower Cretaceous of Sussex,‭ ‬England.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Geological Magazine,‭ ‬133‭ (‬6‭)‬:‭ ‬671‭–‬682.‭ ‬-‭ ‬William T.‭ ‬Blows‭ ‬-‭ ‬1996. -‭ ‬British Polacanthid Dinosaurs‭ ‬-‭ ‬Observations on the History and Palaeontology of the UK Polacanthid Armoured Dinosaurs and their Relatives.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Siri Scientific Press,‭ ‬220‭ ‬pp.‭ ‬-‭ ‬William T.‭ ‬Blows‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

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