Koshisaurus

Ko-she-sore-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

Koshisaurus ‭(‬Koshi lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ko-she-sore-us.

Named By

Masateru Shibata‭ & ‬Yoichi Azuma‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda,‭ ‬Hadrosauroidea.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

K.‭ ‬katsuyama‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of fossils with known elements probably representing juvenile individuals.

Known locations

Japan,‭ ‬Fukui‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kitadani Formation.

Time Period

Aptian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Holotype is a partial maxilla and teeth,‭ ‬with additional post cranial remains‭

In Depth

       Koshisaurus is a genus of primitive hadrosauroid dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of Japan.‭ ‬At the time of writing all known remains of Koshisaurus are partial as well as probably representing juvenile or sub adult individuals,‭ ‬both of which are factors that make it difficult to ascertain how‭ ‬big this dinosaur could grow.‭ ‬Though not yet exceptionally well known,‭ ‬Koshisaurus has been considered as distinct from Fukuisaurus,‭ ‬another hadrosauroid from the same Formation that Koshisaurus is known from.‭ ‬Possible predators of Koshisaurus could include theropod dinosaurs such as Fukuiraptor.

       Koshisaurus means‭ ‘‬koshi lizard‭’‬.‭ ‬Koshi is the old name for Fukui Prefecture,‭ ‬which is where the Koshisaurus holotype fossils were discovered.‭ ‬The species name katsuyama means‭ ‘‬from Katsuyama‭’‬.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬New basaltic hadrosauroid‭ (‬Dinosauria:‭ ‬ornithopoda‭) ‬from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation,‭ ‬Fukui,‭ ‬central Japan.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Zootaxa‭ ‬3914‭ (‬4‭)‬:‭ ‬421-440.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Masateru Shibata‭ & ‬Yoichi Azuma‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

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