Fukuisaurus

Foo-kwee-sore-us.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Name

Fukuisaurus‭ (‬Fukui lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Foo-kwee-sore-us.

Named By

Kobayashi‭ & ‬Azuma‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda,‭ ‬Iguanodontia,‭ ‬Hadrosauroidea.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

F.‭ ‬tetoriensis

Size

Approximately‭ ‬4.5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Japan,‭ ‬Honshu Island,‭ ‬Fukui Prefecture,‭ ‬Kitadani Formation.

Time Period

Barremian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Several known specimens of partial remains.‭

In Depth

       Fukuisaurus was initially only known from partial skull fragments,‭ ‬including a maxilla and jugal from the right hand side of the skull.‭ ‬Further specimens have since been discovered leading to Fukuisaurus being reconstructed with a strong degree of confidence. As an ornithopod,‭ ‬Fukuisaurus is similar to others of the group such as Iguanodon.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬Fukuisaurus does appear to be a more primitive form with a skull that does not support side to side chewing.

Further Reading

– A new iguanodontian (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23(1):166-175. – Y. Kobayashi & Y. Azuma – 2003.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT