Arizonasaurus

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Arizonasaurus
Fossil range: Middle Triassic
Arizonasaurus babbitti
Arizonasaurus babbitti
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
(unranked) Crurotarsi
Order: Rauisuchia
Family: Poposauridae
Genus: Arizonasaurus
Welles, 1947
Species: A. babbitti
Binomial name
Arizonasaurus babbitti
Welles, 1947

Arizonasaurus was an archosaurian reptile from the Mesozoic Era, specifically a poposaurid archosaur from the Middle Triassic (240 million years ago). It was closely related to crocodiles, and is near the split between dinosaurs and crocodiles. Arizonasaurus is found in the Middle Triassic Moenkopi Formation of northern Arizona. A fairly complete skeleton was found in 2002 by Sterling Nesbitt. The taxon has a large sailback formed by elongate neural spines of the vertebrae. The type species, Arizonasaurus babbitti, was named by Welles in 1947.

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