| Chindesaurus Fossil range: Late Triassic | |
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| Scientific classification
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Herrerasauria | |
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Chindesaurus | |
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Chindesaurus (CHIN-dee-SAWR-us - Chinde (Navajo, chiindii) meaning "ghost or evil spirit" and Greek sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of theropod dinosaur named after the Chinde Point, near where the genoholotype specimen (a partial skeleton) was discovered in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, by Bryan Small in 1984.
Chindesaurus was a basal theropod which lived around 225 million years ago during the Late Triassic. It was between 6 and 12 feet (3.7 m) long, and was formally described by Long and Murry in 1995. The type species, Chindesaurus bryansmalli, is named in honor of the discoverer.
Etymology[]
The genus name Chindesaurus is derived from the Navajo word chindi meaning "ghost" or "evil spirit" and the Greek word "sauros" (σαυρος) meaning "lizard";[1] thus, "ghost lizard" or "Lizard from Chinde Point". The species name, bryansmalli honors the discoverer, Bryan Small. Chindesaurus was described and named by R.A. Long and P.A. Murry, in 2011 and the type species is Chindesaurus bryansmalli. When this specimen was first discovered it was nicknamed "Gertie" and received much publicity.
Description[]
Chindesaurus is known from five incomplete specimens (six if Caseosaurus is included). Of these, the type specimen PEFO 10395 is the most complete, consisting of a single tooth, a fragmentary neck vertebra, fragmentary back vertebrae, several rib fragments, two complete vertebrae from the hips, fragmentary tail vertebrae, a chevron, several fragmentary hip bones, a complete left femur and a fragmentary right femur, a fragmentary right tibia, and a right ankle bone.[2] The other specimens are more incomplete, consisting of isolated hip bones, upper leg bones (femora), and more vertebrae. The type and paratype specimens were approximately 2 to 2.3 metres (6.6 to 7.5 ft) in length.[3] Some estimates suggest that Chindesaurus weighed 50 kilograms (110.2 pounds) at most.
Paleoecology[]
References[]
- Irmis, R.B., Nesbitt, S.J., Padian, K., Smith, N.D., Turner, A.H., Woody, D.T., and Downs, A. (2007). "A Late Triassic dinosauromorph assemblage from New Mexico and the rise of dinosaurs". Science 317: 358-361
External links[]
Image of Chindesaurus [1]
