Geranosaurus

Ge-ran-o-sore-us.
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Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

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Name

Geranosaurus ‭(‬Sloth lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ge-ran-o-sore-us.

Named By

Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1911.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda‭?

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

G.‭ ‬atavus‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of fossil remains.

Known locations

South Africa.

Time Period

Early Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Jaw bone and fragmentary limb bones.

In Depth

       Geranosaurus was an ornithischian dinosaur that lived in South Africa during the early Jurassic.‭ ‬Because Geranosaurus is known from only very fragmentary fossil remains,‭ ‬many consider it a dubious genus as it will likely be very difficult to attribute further remains to the genus given there is so little to compare new discoveries too.‭ ‬By extension,‭ ‬not much can be inferred to the lifestyle of Geranosaurus,‭ ‬though there has been speculation that it may have been similar to dinosaurs such as Heterodontosaurus.

       Another dinosaur named by Robert Broom in‭ ‬1911‭ ‬was Gryponyx.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On the dinosaurs of the Stormberg,‭ ‬South Africa.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Annals of the South African Museum‭ ‬7‭(‬4‭)‬:‭ ‬291-308.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1911.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT