Lepidus

Lep-e-dus.
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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

Lepidus ‭(‬fascinating‭)‬.

Phonetic

Lep-e-dus.

Named By

Sterling J.‭ ‬Nesbitt‭ & ‬Martin D.‭ ‬Ezcurra‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Coelophysoidea.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

L.‭ ‬praecisio‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Texas.

Time Period

‬Late Triassic.

Fossil representation

Partial leg bones and a partial maxilla.

In Depth

       The full type species name for this dinosaur is Lepidus praecisio which means‭ ‘‬fascinating fragment‭’‬.‭ ‬This is because while not many fossils of this dinosaur are known,‭ ‬we can observe that the astragalus‭ (‬talos‭) ‬and calcaneum are fused into one,‭ ‬which is a trait of neotheropod dinosaurs.‭ ‬At the same time however,‭ ‬the tibia shows a similarity to more primitive theropod dinosaur forms such as Herrerasaurus.

       Living in what is now the USA during the Triassic,‭ ‬it is possible that Lepidus lived ina same ecosystems as dinosaurs such as Coelophysis and Tawa.‭

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The early fossil record of dinosaurs in North America:‭ ‬A new neotheropod from the base of the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Acta Palaeontologica Polonica‭ ‬60.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Sterling J.‭ ‬Nesbitt‭ & ‬Martin D.‭ ‬Ezcurra‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

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