Laquintasaura

Lah-kwin-tah-sor-rah.
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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

Laquintasaura ‭(‬La Quinta lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Lah-kwin-tah-sor-rah.

Named By

P.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Barrett,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Butler,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Mundil,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Scheyer,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Irmis‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬S�nchez-Villagra‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

L.‭ ‬venezuelae‭

Size

Roughly estimated to be about‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter long.

Known locations

Venezuela.

Time Period

Hettangian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

‭Partial remains.

In Depth

       Named in‭ ‬2014,‭ ‬Laquintasaura is officially the first ever dinosaur genus to be named as coming from Venezeula.‭ ‬Laquintasaura was a small plant eating dinosaur,‭ ‬roughly estimated to have been about‭ one‭ ‬meter long.‭ ‬When the first fossils of Laquintasaura were recovered,‭ ‬small theropod dinosaur teeth were discovered near them,‭ ‬hinting at a predator/prey relationship.‭ ‬Later in‭ ‬2014,‭ ‬actual theropod dinosaur bones were found and used to name the genus Tachiraptor.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A palaeoequatorial ornithischian and new constraints on early dinosaur diversification.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the Royal Society B‭ ‬281:20141147-841.‭ ‬-‭ ‬P.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Barrett,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Butler,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Mundil,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Scheyer,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Irmis‭ & ‬M.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬S�nchez-Villagra‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT