Leonerasaurus

Le-o-ne-rah-sore-us.
Published on

Emerson Winslow

Paleoichthyologist

Emerson Winslow delves into the underwater world of prehistoric fish, uncovering the mysteries of early marine life. His discoveries have enhanced understanding of vertebrate evolution in aquatic environments.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Leonerasaurus ‭(‬Leoneras lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Le-o-ne-rah-sore-us.

Named By

D.‭ ‬Pol,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Garrido‭ & ‬I.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Cerda‭ ‬-‭ ‬2011.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha,‭ ‬Anchisauria.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

L.‭ ‬taquetrensis

Size

Holotype is a subadult and very roughly estimated to be about‭ ‬2.5‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but fully grown adults were almost certainly larger than this.

Known locations

Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Las Leoneras Formation.

Time Period

Sinemurian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial remains of a subadult,‭ ‬including dentary,‭ ‬vertebrae,‭ ‬pectoral girdle,‭ ‬pelvis and sacrum.

In Depth

       Leonerasaurus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur that is known‭ ‬to have lived in South America during the early Jurassic.‭ ‬Leonerasaurus is notable for having a mix of physical characteristics that are seen in both sauropodomorph dinosaurs as well as later sauropods,‭ ‬though current thinking is that Leonerasaurus was a sauropodomorph,‭ ‬but one that was on the way to evolving to a sauropod.‭ ‬In fact when Leonerasaurus was described in‭ ‬2011,‭ ‬a cladogram study placed Leonerasaurus very close to the base of the true sauropods.‭ ‬This may also indicate that several lines of more advanced sauropodomorph dinosaurs evolved,‭ ‬but how many of these forms would develop into actual sauropods is still uncertain.

       Leonerasaurus is expected to have been a herbivore,‭ ‬as indicated by the shape of the teeth in the dentary.‭ ‬The holotype of Leonerasaurus is of a subadult individual,‭ ‬meaning that this individual was not fully grown at the time of death.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬with a roughly estimated length of about two and a half meters,‭ ‬it would seem that Leonerasaurus was not a particularly large genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Patagonia and the origin and evolution of the sauropod-type sacrum.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PLoS One‭ ‬6‭(‬1‭(‬e14572‭))‬:1-24.‭ ‬-‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Pol,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Garrido‭ & ‬I.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Cerda‭ ‬-‭ ‬2011.

Never Miss a New Species or Fossil Discovery!

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Argentinosaurus