In Depth
Lessemsaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur named in honour of the Don Lessem, an author noted for his work writing popular science books. Although Lessemsaurus is so far only based upon the description of vertebrae. These vertebrae are noted for having tall neural spines, something which may hint at a fleshy or fatty ridge than ran down the back of the living dinosaur. Being estimated at around nine meters long, Lessemsaurus was not far from the sauropodomorph Riojasaurus in terms of overall size.
Aside from Riojasaurus, other dinosaurs from the Los Colorados Formation that Lessemsaurus may have come into contact with include the massospondylid Coloradisaurus, and the theropod Zupaysaurus.
Further Reading
- Evoluci�n de las v�rtebras presacras en Sauropodomorpha, Jose Fernando Bonaparte - 1999. -New information on Lessemsaurus sauropoides (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) from the Upper Triassic of Argentina, D. Pol & J. E. Powell - 2007.
