Fulgurotherium

Ful-go-fe-re-um.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Fulgurotherium ‭(‬Lighting beast‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ful-go-fe-re-um.

Named By

Friedrich von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1932.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda,‭ ‬Hypsilophodontidae‭?

Diet

Herbivore‭?

Species

F.‭ ‬australe‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains,‭ ‬but very roughly estimated at somewhere between‭ ‬1‭ ‬and‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Australia,‭ ‬New South Wales,‭ ‬Lightning Ridge‭ ‬-‭ ‬Griman Creek Formation.

Time Period

Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial end of‭ ‬a‭ ‬femur that has been turned to opal.

In Depth

       Fulgurotherium is a little known genus of Australian dinosaur that is also known from‭ ‬very little fossil material‭; ‬at the time of writing,‭ ‬only a fragment of a femur.‭ ‬This femur seems to match up small ornithopod dinosaurs that range about one to one and a half meters long in size,‭ ‬but this figure is highly speculative.‭ ‬Because of the severe lack of fossils,‭ ‬Fulgurotherium is usually regarded as a Nomen dubium.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Die fossile Reptil-Ordnung Saurischia,‭ ‬ihre Entwicklung und Geschichte‭ [‬The fossil reptile order Saurischia,‭ ‬their development and history‭]‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Monographien zur Geologie und Palaeontologie,‭ ‬serie‭ ‬1‭ ‬4‭(‬1-2‭)‬:1-361.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Friedrich von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1932.

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