Noasaurus
| Noasaurus Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous, 70Ma | |
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| Artist's impression | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Superfamily: | Abelisauroidea |
| Family: | Noasauridae |
| Genus: | Noasaurus Bonaparte & Powell, 1980 |
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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 from the Lecho Formation of Salta Province, Argentina, dating to the late Cretaceous period (early Maastrichtian stage, about 70 Ma ago).
It was a close relative of the larger abelisaurids; they are both derived from the same basal abelisauroid ancestor. While originally reported to have a raptorial 'sickle claw' on the foot similar to the claws of the more advanced dromaeosaurids, subsequent studies showed that the claw actually came from the hand.[1]
The type species, Noasaurus leali, was described by Bonaparte and Powell in 1980.
References
- ↑ Agnolin, F.L. and Chiarelli, P. (2010). "The position of the claws in Noasauridae (Dinosauria: Abelisauroidea) and its implications for abelisauroid manus evolution." Paläontologische Zeitschrift, published online 19 November 2009. doi:10.1007/s12542-009-0044-2
- Lessem, D. (May 1993). "Jose Bonaparte: Master of the Mesozoic". Omni.
External links
- http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1430/is_n7_v15/ai_13548874/pg_4
- http://www.thescelosaurus.com/ceratosauria.htm