Pantydraco

Pan-tee-dray-co.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Pantydraco ‭(‬Panty dragon‭).

Phonetic

Pan-tee-dray-co.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Sauropodomorpha.

Diet

Omnivore.

Species

P.‭ ‬caducus‭

Size

Uncertain.

Known locations

United Kingdom,‭ ‬Wales,‭ ‬Pantyffynnon quarry.

Time Period

Rhaetian of the Triassic,‭ ‬possibly into the early Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Skull and partial skeleton including parts of the neck,‭ ‬shoulder girdle and upper arm‭ (‬humeri‭)‬.‭ ‬Material is probably from a juvenile specimen.

In Depth

       Pantydraco was formerly known as Thecodontosaurus caducus,‭ ‬however re-examination of the many Thecodontosaurus species has resulted in many being regarded as synonyms or actually recognised as new animals,‭ ‬as is the case for Pantydraco.

       Named after the Pantyffynnon quarry where it was discovered,‭ ‬Pantydraco is thought to represent a basal sauropodomorph.‭ ‬For this reason it is considered to have most probably been omnivorous as it would represent the change from meat eating ancestors,‭ ‬to plant eating descendants.‭ ‬Pantydraco was also most likely to have still been primarily bipedal.

Further Reading

– Pantydraco n. gen. for Thecodontosaurus caducus YATES, 2003, a basal sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Upper Triassic or Lower Jurassic of South Wales, UK. – Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und Pal�ontologie, Abhandlungen. 243 (1): 119–125. – Peter M. Galton, Adam M. Yates & D. Kermack – 2007.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT