Protognathosaurus

Pro-toe-nay-foe-sore-us.
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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

Protognathosaurus ‭(‬Early jaw lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Pro-toe-nay-foe-sore-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropoda,‭ ‬Euhelopodidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

P.‭ ‬oxyodon‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of post cranial remains.

Known locations

China,‭ ‬Sichuan Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Shaximiao Formation.

Time Period

Bathonian/Callovian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Lower jaw.

In Depth

       When first described in‭ ‬1988‭ ‬by Zhang Yihun this sauropod dinosaur genus was named as Protognathus.‭ ‬However it was soon realised that the name Protognathus had already been used to name a genus of beetle,‭ ‬so the dinosaur was renamed buy George Olshevsky to become Protognathosaurus in order to make it distinct from the beetle.‭ ‬Protognathosaurusis today‭ ‬is‭ ‬considered to be a dubious dinosaur genus on the grounds that it is only described from a partially preserved lower jaw.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The Middle Jurassic Dinosaur Fauna from Dashanpu,‭ ‬Zigong,‭ ‬Sichuan.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Vol.‭ ‬II.‭ ‬Sauropod Dinosaurs‭ (‬I‭)‬,‭ ‬Sichuan Publishing House of Science and Technology,‭ ‬Chengdu,‭ ‬China,‭ ‬89‭ ‬pp.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Zhang Yihun‭ ‬-‭ ‬1988. -‭ ‬A revision of the parainfraclass Archosauria Cope,‭ ‬1869,‭ ‬excluding the advanced Crocodylia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Mesozoic Meanderings‭ ‬2:1-196.‭ ‬-‭ ‬George Olshevsky‭ ‬-‭ ‬1991.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT