Paraxenisaurus

Pa-rah-ze-ne-sor-us.
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Maeve Foster

Paleoclimatologist

Maeve Foster explores the Earth's climatic past to understand the forces that shaped life on our planet. Her research into ancient climate events provides valuable context for current environmental challenges.

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Name

Paraxenisaurus ‭(‬strange lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Pa-rah-ze-ne-sor-us.

Named By

Claudia In�s Serrano-Bra�as,‭ ‬Belinda Espinosa-Ch�vez,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Augusta Maccracken,‭ ‬Cirene Guti�rrez-Blando,‭ ‬Claudio de Le�n-D�vila‭ & ‬Jos� Flores Ventura‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Ornithomimosauria,‭ ‬Deinocheiridae.

Diet

Herbivore‭?

Species

P.‭ ‬normalensis‭

Size

Uncertain but roughly estimated to be about‭ ‬5.7‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Mexico,‭ ‬Coahuila‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cerro del Pueblo Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial skeleton including femur‭ (‬thigh bone‭)‬,‭ ‬astragalus‭ (‬ankle‭) ‬and a‭ ‬partial foot and hand.‭ ‬Some vertebrae also known.

In Depth

       Paraxenisaurus is a genus of deinocheirid dinosaur that lived in Mexico during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬Deinocheirid dinosaurs like Paraxenisaurus are a special sub group of ornithomimosaurs that are more similar to the Deinocheirus genus‭ (‬Deinocheirus was for a long time known only from a gigantic pair of arms until the early twenty-first century when more complete skeletons were found‭)‬.‭ ‬Paraxenisaurus is the first deinocheirid dinosaur discovered in North America.‭ ‬Before this discovery all other deinocheirid dinosaurs were only known in Asia.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Paraxenisaurus normalensis,‭ ‬a large deinocheirid ornithomimosaur from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation‭ (‬Upper Cretaceous‭)‬,‭ ‬Coahuila,‭ ‬Mexico.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of South American Earth Sciences.‭ ‬101.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Claudia In�s Serrano-Bra�as,‭ ‬Belinda Espinosa-Ch�vez,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Augusta Maccracken,‭ ‬Cirene Guti�rrez-Blando,‭ ‬Claudio de Le�n-D�vila‭ & ‬Jos� Flores Ventura‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT