Noasaurus
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| Noasaurus Fossil range: Late Cretaceous |
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| Noasaurus leali Bonaparte & Powell, 1980 |
Noasaurus ("Northwestern Argentina lizard") is the name given to a carnivorous dinosaur genus of the late Campanian-Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous). It was a small (less than eight feet long) theropod, specifically a ceratosaur, discovered by Jaime Powell and José Bonaparte in northwestern Argentina. It was originally thought to have had a toe claw similar to that of dromaeosaurs, but independently developed, but this is now discredited: the "toe claw" was probably actually on the animal's hand.
Compared to those avian-theropods, Noasaurus is old fashoned. It is likely a close relative of the larger abelisaurs that shared its habitat; they are both derived from the same Ceratosaurus-type basal ceratosaurian ancestor. The discovery of Masiakasaurus, a closely related animal from Madagascar, provides evidence for this new theory: it doesn't have a dromaeosaur-style toe claw.
The type species, Noasaurus leali, was described by Bonaparte and Powell in 1980.
[edit] References
- Lessem, D. (May 1993). "Jose Bonaparte: Master of the Mesozoic". Omni.
[edit] External links
- http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1430/is_n7_v15/ai_13548874/pg_4
- http://www.users.qwest.net/~jstweet1/ceratosauria.htm
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