Rhadinosaurus
| Rhadinosaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Genus: | Rhadinososaurus Seeley, 1881 |
| Species | |
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Rhadinosaurus is a genus of prehistoric reptile described in 1881 by Harry Govier Seeley, from remains found in Austria. The name means "slender lizard". It lived about 80 million years ago (during the Late Cretaceous period). The type species is R. alcinus.
The fossil finds have been fragmentary. So far, only a humerus, a possible femur, two vertebrae and other indeterminate fragments have been discovered. The result of such minimal findings is that the classification of this creature is uncertain. It has variously been described as an ankylosaur, a synonym of Struthiosaurus, or as a crocodilian. For this reason, the scientific classification data that are provided in this article are minimal.
References
- H.G. Seeley, 1881, "The reptile fauna of the Gosau Formation preserved in the Geological Museum of the University of Vienna", Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 37(148): 620-707