Daemonosaurus

Daemonosaurus (pron.:"DAY-mow-no-SORE-us") is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur from the Late Triassic of New Mexico. Fossils have been found from deposits in the Chinle Formation, which is latest Triassic in age. While theropods had diversified into several specialized groups by this time, Daemonosaurus is a basal theropod that lies outside the clade Neotheropoda. Daemonosaurus is unusual among early theropods in that it had a short skull and long protruding teeth.

Etymology
The generic name Daemonosaurus is derived from the Greek words "daimonas" (δαίμων) meaning "demon" and "sauros" (σαύρα) meaning "lizard"; thus "demon lizard". The specific name, derived from Greek word "chauliodus" (χαυλιόδους) meaning "prominent toothed," which is in reference to its procumbent front teeth.[1] Daemonosaurus was named by Hans-Dieter Sues, Sterling J. Nesbitt, David S. Berman and Amy C. Henrici in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B in 2011 and the type species is Daemonosaurus chauliodus.

Description
Daemonosaurus is known from the single holotype CM 76821, which consists of a skull, mandibles, an atlas bone, an axis bone, neck vertebrae, and rib fragments discovered at Ghost Ranch. Ghost Ranch is famous for an abundance of fossils of the similar theropod Coelophysis. Fossils of Coelophysis were present on the same block that contained the skull of Daemonosaurus, which was uncovered by a volunteer at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.[1][2] In 2011, Fred Bervoets noted that "it is possible that additional postcranial bones will be retrieved during further preparation of the large block C-4-81 in which CM 76821 was discovered in association with skeletal remains of C. bauri."

Based on the proportions of related theropods, Daemonosaurus is estimated to have been around 1.5 m (5 feet) long.[2] Other estimates suggest that Daemonosaurus was at best 2.2 m (7 ft) long and weighed 22 kilograms (49 pounds) at most.[3] The skull of Daemonosaurus differs considerably from all other Triassic theropods. The snout is short and bears large premaxillary and maxillary teeth in the upper jaw. Procumbent teeth project forward from the tips of the upper and lower jaws,[1] which is highlighted in the species name chauliodis that roughly means "buck-toothed".[4] Daemonosaurus is unique among Triassic theropods because it has an unusually short snout, and all other early theropods had long heads and jaws. Like the coelophysoids, Daemonosaurus has a kink in its upper jaws, between the maxilla and the premaxilla.

Juvenile
The proportionately large orbit, the short snout, and the apparent lack of fusion between the bones of the braincase suggest that the holotype specimen CM 76821 may be an example of a juvenile dinosaur. On the other hand, the closure (fusion) of the neurocentral sutures in the vertebrae suggest a mature individual.