Galesaurus

Name: Galesaurus.
Phonetic: Gal-e-sore-us.
Named By: Richard Owen‭ ‬-‭ ‬1859.
Synonyms: Glochinodontoides gracilis.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Cynodontia,‭ ‬Galesauridae.
Species: G.‭ ‬planiceps‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Largest skull roughly up to‭ ‬12‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Larger remains indicate a total adult length of about‭ ‬75-80‭ ‬centimetres long.
Known locations: South Africa‭ ‬-‭ ‬Normandien Formation‭ (‬Harrismith Member‭)‬,‭ ‬Lystrosaurus other zone.
Time period: Early Triassic.
Fossil representation: Skull and post cranial remains of individuals of various ages.

       When Galesaurus was first named by the famous‭ ‬naturalist Richard Owen.‭ ‬He thought that he was naming a new genus of dinosaur,‭ ‬and later when Galesaurus was described in the very first issue of the journal Nature,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Huxley also stated that Galesaurus was a small dinosaur.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬in modern times we are now confident that Galesaurus was not a dinosaur,‭ ‬but actually a cynodont.‭ ‬Galesaurus is often compared to the more famous Thrinaxodon,‭ ‬though there is no doubt that the two genera represent different cynodonts.‭ ‬The most complete specimens of Galesaurus seem to represent juveniles,‭ ‬but when these are scaled through comparison to larger less complete remains of adults,‭ ‬it is clear that Galesaurus was actually fairly large for a cynodont.‭ ‬Still,‭ ‬Galesaurus seems to have been just a bit smaller than Cynognathus,‭ ‬one of the largest cynodonts.

Further reading
-‭ ‬On some reptilian fossils from South Africa.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London‭ ‬16‭(‬1‭)‬:49-62.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Richard Owen‭ ‬-‭ ‬1859.
-‭ ‬The morphology of the skull of a young Galesaurus planiceps and related forms.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Morphology‭ ‬63,‭ ‬3‭ ‬-‭ ‬harold W.‭ ‬Rigney‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.
-‭ ‬The Postcranial Skeleton of the Early Triassic Non-Mammalian Cynodont Galesaurus planiceps:‭ ‬Implications for Biology and Lifestyle.‭ ‬-‭ ‬dissertation‭ ‬-‭ ‬Elize Butler‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.
- Cranial Ontogeny of the Early Triassic Basal Cynodont Galesaurus planiceps. - The Anatomical Record. 300 (2): 353–381. - Sandra C. Jasinoski & Fernando Abdala - 2017.

Random favourites