Lycorhinus

Ly-koe-rhy-nuss.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Lycorhinus ‭(‬Wolf snout‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ly-koe-rhy-nuss.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Heterodontosauridae,‭ ‬Heterodontosaurinae.

Diet

Herbivore/omnivore‭?

Species

L.‭ ‬angustidens‭

Size

Estimates about‭ ‬1.2‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

South Africa,‭ ‬Cape Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Elliot Formation.

Time Period

Hettangian to Sinemurian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial skulls,‭ ‬dentaries and teeth.

In Depth

       Originally thought to be a cynodont,‭ ‬Lycorhinus was not realised to be a dinosaur until‭ ‬1962‭ ‬when Alfred Walter Crompton studied the holotype.‭ ‬Many remains have been attributed Lycorhinus in the past,‭ ‬but most of these have now been moved to other species of different genera,‭ ‬two examples being UCL A100‭ ‬and UCL B54‭ (‬partial skull and partial skull and skeleton respectively‭) ‬being moved to create the genus Abrictosaurus.‭ ‬One genus however,‭ ‬Lanasaurus named by Christopher Gow in‭ ‬1975‭ ‬is now regarded by palaeontolgists‭ (‬including Gow himself‭) ‬as being a synonym to Lycorhinus.‭ ‬Unfortunately this has not done much to increase the known fossils of Lycorhinus since Lanasaurus was based upon only a partial maxilla.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The fauna and stratigraphy of the Stormberg Series,‭ ‬Sidney H.‭ ‬Haughton‭ ‬-‭ ‬1924. -‭ ‬A tooth-bearing maxilla referable to Lycorhinus angustidens Haughton,‭ ‬Christopher E.‭ ‬Gow‭ ‬-‭ ‬1990.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT