Orthogoniosaurus

Or-foe-gon-e-o-sore-us.
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Emerson Winslow

Paleoichthyologist

Emerson Winslow delves into the underwater world of prehistoric fish, uncovering the mysteries of early marine life. His discoveries have enhanced understanding of vertebrate evolution in aquatic environments.

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Name

Orthogoniosaurus ‭(‬Straight angled lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Or-foe-gon-e-o-sore-us.

Named By

H.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Das-Gupta‭ ‬-‭ ‬1931.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

O.‭ ‬matleyi‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains.‭ ‬Holotype tooth‭ ‬is‭ ‬27‭ ‬millimetres long.

Known locations

India,‭ ‬Madhya Pradesh,‭ ‬Jabalpur‭ ‬-‭ ‬Lameta Formation.

Time Period

Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Fragmentary tooth.

In Depth

       The first genus of theropod dinosaur to ever be named from India’s Lameta Formation,‭ ‬Orthogoniosaurus has often been considered to be a senior synonym for other theropod genera that were later discovered.‭ ‬However the holotype of Orthogoniosaurus is only a tooth,‭ ‬and because of this no other fossil remains have been attributed to the genus because it is almost impossible to identify them based upon such scant fossil material.‭

       Other theropods from the Lameta Formation which are known from much more complete remains include Indosaurus,‭ ‬Indosuchus,‭ ‬Rajasaurus and Rahiolisaurus amongst others.‭ ‬Interestingly,‭ ‬all four of these genera are abelisaurid theropods,‭ ‬though the tooth of Orthogoniosaurus has been regarded as possibly coming from a ceratosaurian theropod,‭ ‬though again,‭ ‬because only a tooth is known this is not seen as a certainty,‭ ‬just a possibility.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On a new theropod dinosaur‭ (‬Orthogoniosaurus matleyi,‭ ‬n.‭ ‬gen.‭ ‬et n.‭ ‬sp.‭) ‬from the Lameta beds of Jubbulpore,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Das-Gupta‭ ‬-‭ ‬1931.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT