Name:
Piatnitzkysaurus (Greek for "Piatnitzsky's lizard"); pronounced pyat-NIT-skee-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of South America
Historical Period:
Late Jurassic (175-165 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 14 feet long and 900 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long, stiff tail; bipedal stance; ridges on snout
About Platnitzskysaurus:
It's hard to work up much of a sweat about a dinosaur named "Piatnitzky," but this fierce carnivore is thought to have terrorized the plant-eaters of Jurassic South America. Closely related to another early theropod, Megalosaurus, Piatnitzkysaurus was distinguished by the crests on its head and its long, stiff tail. It clearly partook of the same body plan as later, bigger, and more dangerous (and dangerously named) dinosaurs like Allosaurus and T. Rex.
