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Staurikosaurus

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staurikosaurus

Staurikosaurus (Dmitri Bogdanov)

Name:

Staurikosaurus (Greek for "Southern Cross lizard"); pronounced STORE-rick-oh-SORE-us

Habitat:

Forests and scrublands of South America

HIstorical Period:

Middle Triassic (about 230 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About 6 feet long and 75 pounds

Diet:

Meat

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Long, thin head; slender arms and legs; five-fingered hands

About Staurikosaurus:

Known from a single fossil specimen found in South America in 1970, Staurikosaurus is one of the earliest dinosaurs, the immediate descendants of the two-legged archosaurs of the early Triassic period. Unlike its slightly bigger South American cousin, Herrerasaurus, it seems that Staurikosaurus was a true theropod--that is, it evolved after the ancient split between ornithischian and saurischian dinosaurs.

One odd feature about Staurikosaurus was a joint in its lower jaw that seemed to allow it to chew its food backwards and forwards, as well as up and down. Since later theropods didn't have this adaptation, it's likely that Staurikosaurus lived in an stark environment that forced it to extract the maximum nutrition from its wriggling meals.

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