Name:
Revueltosaurus
(Revuelto lizard - derived from the Spanish word ’revuelta’
which means ‘revoluton’).
Phonetic: Re-vul-toe-sore-us.
Named By: Adrian P. Hunt - 1989.
Synonyms: Galtonia, Krzyzanowskisaurus,
Pekinosaurus, Thecodontosaurus gibbidens, Thecodontosaurus
gibbidensis.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Suchia.
Species: R. callenderi
(type), R. olseni, R. hunti.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Unavailable.
Known locations: USA, including Arizona -
Chinle Formation, New Mexico - Bull Canyon Formation, North
Carolina - Cumnock Formation, Pekin Formation, Redonda
Formation, Pensylvania and Texas - Tecovas Formation.
Time period: Carnian to Norian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Multiple individuals.
To begin with, one of the most interesting facts about Revueltosaurus is that the genus was first believed to have represented a very primitive orithischian (bird-hipped) dinosaur. This is because when Revueltosaurus was first discovered the genus was only described by teeth, and these were very similar to the ornithiscian dinosaurs of the Jurassic. It was not until skull and post cranial skeletal remains were discovered that Revueltosaurus was realised to actually be a pseudosuchian, and not a dinosaur. The teeth of Revueltosaurus are serrated in a fashion similar to the herbivorous orithischian dinosaurs, and so it is reasonable to assume that Revueltosaurus also had a herbivorous preference.
Further reading
- A new ?ornithischian dinosaur from the Bull Canyon Formation
(Upper Triassic) of east-central New Mexico.
- A revision of the Upper Triassic ornithischian dinosaur
Revueltosaurus, with a description of a new
species. - A. B.
Heckert - 2002.
- The Late Triassic pseudosuchian Revueltosaurus callenderi
and its
implications for the diversity of early ornithischian dinosaurs -
William G. Parker, Randall B. Irmis, Sterling J. Nesbitt,
Jeffrey W. Martz & Lori S. Browne - 2005.
- A critical re-evaluation of the Late Triassic dinosaur taxa of
North America - Sterling J. Nesbitt, Randall B. Irmis
& William G. Parker - 2007.