Lusitanosaurus

Loo-se-tan-o-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

Lusitanosaurus ‭(‬Portugal lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Loo-se-tan-o-sore-us.

Named By

Albert-Felix de Lapparent‭ & ‬Georges Zbyszewski‭ ‬-‭ ‬1957.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophora,‭ ‬Ankylosauria‭?

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

L.‭ ‬liasicus‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains.

Known locations

Portugal.

Time Period

Sinemurian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial left maxilla and seven teeth.

In Depth

       Lusitanosaurus is widely regarded as‭ ‬a‭ ‬dubious genus because of the lack of fossils that were used to describe it.‭ ‬The maxilla in question was originally thought to be from a stegosaur,‭ ‬but today it is considered to be from an ankylosaurian.‭ ‬Beyond this it is hard to infer anything further other than in life the dinosaur was likely a herbivore and quadrupedal like other members of the Thyreophora,‭ ‬and again this is why the genus is regarded as dubious.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Les dinosauriens du Portugal,‭ ‬Albert-Felix de Lapparent‭ & ‬Georges Zbyszewski‭ ‬-‭ ‬1957.

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