Tarjadia

Name: Tarjadia ‭(‬Tarjados‭ ‬-‭ ‬after the Sierra de los Tarjados,‭ ‬a mountain range near where the holotype was discovered‭)‬.
Phonetic: Tar-ya-de-ah.
Named By: A.‭ ‬Arcucci‭ & ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Mariscano‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Archosauriformes,‭ ‬Doswelliidae.
Species: T.‭ ‬ruthae‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore‭?
Size: Unavailable.
Known locations: Argentina,‭ ‬La Rioja Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chanares Formation.
Time period: Ladinian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial remains of armour,‭ ‬post cranial skeleton and skull.

       Most study about Tarjadia so far has been concerning the osteoderms‭ (‬sometimes called scutes‭)‬,‭ ‬pieces of bone that resided within the skin.‭ ‬The osteoderms of Tarjadia are very distinctive in that they have heavy pitting on their surface.‭ ‬These osteoderms likely afforded Tarjadia a fair amount of protection from other predators of the time such as rauisuchians and other kinds of archosaurs,‭ ‬perhaps even the ancestors of the dinosaurs.
       Identified as a doswelliid,‭ ‬Tarjadia was related to Doswellia and Archeopelta.‭ ‬Like these,‭ ‬Tarjadia is thought to have possibly been predators of smaller animals.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A distinctive new archosaur from the Middle Triassic‭ (‬Los Chanares Formation‭) ‬of Argentina,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Arcucci‭ & ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Mariscano‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998.



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