Cryptosaurus

Krip-toe-sore-us.
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Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Name

Cryptosaurus ‭(‬Hidden lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Krip-toe-sore-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophora,‭ ‬Ankylosauria.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

C.‭ ‬eumerus‭

Size

Unknown.

Known locations

England‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ampthill Clay Formation.

Time Period

Oxfordian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial femur‭ (‬OUM J.46882‭)‬,‭ ‬about‭ ‬33‭ ‬centimetres long.

In Depth

       Today Cryptosaurus is considered to be a genus of ankylosaur,‭ ‬though because it is only known by a partial femur the genus is considered dubious because it would be almost impossible to assign further remains to the genus.‭

       When first described by Harry Govier Seeley,‭ ‬Cryptosaurus was thought to have been a relative of Iguanodon,‭ ‬and later Friedrich von Huene thought it was a slightly different kind of ornithopod,‭ ‬and assigned it to the camptosauridae.‭ ‬Richard Lydekker also created the name Cryptodraco for the bone in‭ ‬1889,‭ ‬but since this was unnecessary it is now treated as a synonym to Cryptosaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Index to the Fossil Remains of Aves,‭ ‬Ornithosauria,‭ ‬and Reptilia from the Secondary System of Strata,‭ ‬arranged in the Woodwardian Museum of the University of Cambridge,‭ ‬Harry Govier Seeley‭ ‬-‭ ‬1869. -‭ ‬On the Femur of Cryptosaurus eumerus,‭ ‬Seeley,‭ ‬a Dinosaur from the Oxford Clay of Great Grandshen,‭ ‬Harry Govier Seeley‭ ‬-‭ ‬1875. -‭ ‬Armored dinosaurs‭ (‬Ornithischia:‭ ‬Ankylosauria‭) ‬from the Middle and Upper Jurassic of Europe,‭ ‬Peter M.‭ ‬Galton‭ ‬-‭ ‬1983.

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