Silesaurus

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Silesaurus

Extinct (fossil)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Infraclass:	Archosauromorpha
(unranked)	Ornithodira
(unranked)	Dinosauriformes
Genus:	Silesaurus

Binomial name

Silesaurus opolensis
Dzik, 2003

Silesaurus is the name given to an enigmatic genus of basal dinosaur (or perhaps dinosauriform) from the Late Triassic. It was a reptile which lived in what is now Poland. The type species, Silesaurus opolensis, was described by Dzik in 2003. It is known from several skeletons, making it one of the best-preserved of the early dinosaurs, though it may, in fact, turn out to belong to a sister clade of the dinosaurs. One hypothesis places it as a basal ornithischian, another as a basal link between the prosauropods and ornithischians.

The name is given to show the place where it was found: near Opole, Upper Silesia, Poland. The name is Latin and refers to Latin name of the city and its region.

Systematic position after Ezcurra (2006):

Ornithodira
|--Pterosauromorpha
|  |--Scleromochlus
|  `--Pterosauria
`--Dinosauromorpha
      |--Lagerpeton
      `--Dinosauriformes
           |--Marasuchus
           `--+--Pseudolagosuchus
              `--+--Silesaurus
                 `--+--Eucoelophysis
                    `--Dinosauria
                         |--Saurischia
                         |   |--Herrerasauridae
                         |   `--Eusaurischia 
                         |       |--Theropoda
                         |       `--Sauropodomorpha
                         `--Ornithischia