Fabrosaurus

‭F‬ab-roe-sore-us.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Fabrosaurus ‭(‬Fabre’s lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

‭F‬ab-roe-sore-us.

Named By

Leonard Ginsburg‭ ‬-‭ ‬1964.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Genasauria,‭ ‬Fabrosauridae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

F.‭ ‬australis‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of remains,‭ ‬but comparison to Lesothosaurus would suggest a length of about‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter.

Known locations

South Africa.

Time Period

Hettangian/Sinemurian of the Jurassic‭?

Fossil representation

A partial jaw and three teeth.

In Depth

       Fabrosaurus has been widely considered to be a dubious genus due to the very incomplete nature of the type remains,‭ ‬a partial jaw and three teeth.‭ ‬The better known genus Lesothosaurus however has been speculated to be a synonym to Fabrosaurus,‭ ‬though the lack of remains for Fabrosaurus mean that such an observation remains only speculative.‭ ‬The lack of type remains for Fabrosaurus also mean that it would be very difficult to add new material to the genus unless a direct link to the holotype remains could be established‭ (‬i.e.‭ ‬further remains of the same individual with ideally a second individual supporting the find‭)‬.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Decouverte d’un Scelidosaurien‭ (‬Dinosaure ornithischien‭) ‬dans le Trias superieur du Basutoland‭”‬,‭ ‬Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences de Paris‭ ‬-‭ ‬258‭; ‬2366‭–‬2368‭ ‬-‭ ‬Leonard Ginsburg‭ ‬-‭ ‬1964. -‭ ‬The Skull of Fabrosaurus australis,‭ ‬a Triassic ornithischian dinosaur,‭ ‬Richard A.‭ ‬Thulborn -1970. – The post-cranial skeleton of the Triassic ornithischian dinosaur Fabrosaurus australis. – Palaeontology, 15(1), 29-60. – Richard A. Thulborn – 1972. The ‘fabrosaurid’ ornithischian dinosaurs of the Upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) of South Africa and Lesotho. – Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 145 (2): 175–218. – Richard J. Butler – 2005.

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