Laosaurus

Lay-oh-sore-us.
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Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Name

Laosaurus ‭(‬Fossil lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Lay-oh-sore-us.

Named By

Othniel Charles Marsh‭ ‬-‭ ‬1878.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Ornithopoda,‭ ‬Hypsilophodontidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

L.‭ ‬celer

Size

Uncertain.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Wyoming‭ ‬-‭ ‬Morrision Formation.‭ ‬Canada,‭ ‬Alberta.

Time Period

Oxfordian/Tithonian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Very partial and fragmentary remains.

In Depth

       Laosaurus is today considered to be a dubious genus of dinosaur.‭ ‬Though previously considered to be a hypsilophodont‭ (‬relative of Hypsilophodon‭)‬,‭ ‬most of the fossil remains once attributed to Laosaurus have ended up being considered to be other genera such as Orodromeus,‭ ‬Dryosaurus and Othnielosaurus.‭ ‬What few fossils that are still assigned to Laosaurus,‭ ‬are often seen as being too indeterminate to base a genus upon,‭ ‬and may well in themselves be examples of other dinosaur genera.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Osteology of ornithopodous dinosaurs from the Dinosaur National Monument,‭ ‬Utah.‭ ‬-Memoir of the Carnegie Museum‭ ‬10:‭ ‬385‭–‬409.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Charles W.‭ ‬Gilmore‭ ‬-‭ ‬1925. -‭ ‬The relationships of the Alberta Cretaceous dinosaur‭ ‘‬Laosaurus minimus‭’ ‬Gilmore.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Paleontology‭ ‬23‭ (‬5‭)‬:‭ ‬518‭–‬520.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Loris S.‭ ‬Russel‭ ‬-‭ ‬1949. -‭ ‬The ornithopod dinosaur Dryosaurus and a Laurasia-Gondwanaland connection in the Upper Jurassic.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature‭ ‬268‭ (‬5617‭)‬:‭ ‬230‭–‬232.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Peter M.‭ ‬Galton‭ ‬-‭ ‬1977. -‭ ‬Teeth of ornithischian dinosaurs‭ (‬mostly Ornithopoda‭) ‬from the Morrison Formation‭ (‬Upper Jurassic‭) ‬of the western United States‭ ‬-‭ ‬Peter M.‭ ‬Galton‭ ‬-‭ ‬In,‭ ‬Horns and Beaks:‭ ‬Ceratopsian and Ornithopod Dinosaurs.‭ ‬Indiana University Press:‭ ‬Bloomington‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kenneth Carpenter‭ (‬ed‭) ‬-‭ ‬2007.‭

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT