Silvisaurus

Sil-ve-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

Silvisaurus ‭(‬Woodland lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Sil-ve-sore-us.

Named By

Theodore H.‭ ‬Eaton Jr‭ ‬-‭ ‬1960.

Classification

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

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

S.‭ ‬condrayi‭

Size

Skull‭ ‬25‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Body estimated to be about‭ ‬4‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Kansas‭ ‬-‭ ‬Dakota Formation.

Time Period

Albian to‭ ‬Cenomanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial skeleton,‭ ‬skull and mandible.

In Depth

       Silvisaurus is to date only known by a partial skeleton,‭ ‬and this is in a poor state of preservation that was weathered and trampled by cattle for a long time before it was discovered.‭ ‬Despite the poor state of preservation,‭ ‬Silvisaurus is considered to have been a primitive form of nodosaur that maybe more closely related to Pawpawsaurus,‭ ‬Sauropelta and Cedarpelta.‭ ‬Like all other nodosaurs,‭ ‬Silvisaurus would have been a quadrupedal low browsing dinosaur heavily armoured with spines and bony armour along its back and sides.‭ ‬The skull of Silvisaurus has large openings which may have been passages for resonating loud vocalisations.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new armored dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Kansas. – ‬Theodore H.‭ ‬Eaton Jr‭ ‬-‭ ‬1960.

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