Pisanosaurus

Pie-san-o-sore-us.
Published on

Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Pisanosaurus ‭(‬Pisano’s lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Pie-san-o-sore-us.

Named By

R.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Casamiquela‭ ‬-‭ ‬1967.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Pisanosauridae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

P.‭ ‬mertii‭

Size

Up to about‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter long.

Known locations

Argentina‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ischigualasto Formation.

Time Period

Carnian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Partial skull and post cranial skeletal fossils.

In Depth

       Pisanosaurus is easily one of the oldest ornithischian dinosaurs that are currently known to science.‭ ‬Unfortunately the holotype specimen is very fragmentary,‭ ‬and details such as the orientation of the pubic bone are still unknown.‭ ‬Despite this the basic orithopod body form can still be clearly seen,‭ ‬Pisanosaurus is a good indicator for a type of dinosaur that would become common and widespread all the way through the Mesozoic.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Un nuevo dinosaurio ornitisquio triasico‭ (‬Pisanosaurus mertii‭; ‬Ornithopoda‭) ‬de la Formaci�n Ischigualasto,‭ ‬Argentina‭ [‬A new Triassic ornithischian dinosaur‭ (‬Pisanosaurus mertii‭; ‬Ornithopoda‭) ‬from the Ischigualasto Formation,‭ ‬Argentina‭]‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ameghiniana‭ ‬4‭(‬2‭)‬:47-64.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Casamiquela‭ ‬-‭ ‬1967. – Pisanosaurus mertii Casamiquela and the origin of the Ornithischia. – Journal of Paleontology. 50 (5): 808–820. – J. F. Bonaparte – 1976. – Nuevas observaciones sobre Pisanosaurus mertii Casamiquela, 1967 (Dinosauriformes) y sus implicancias taxon�micas. – XXIX Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontolog�a de Vertebrados. 27–29. – Federico L. Agnolin – 2015. – Phylogenetic reassessment of Pisanosaurus mertii Casamiquela, 1967, a basal dinosauriform from the Late Triassic of Argentina. – Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 16 (10): 853–879. – Federico L. Agnol�n & Sebasti�n Rozadilla – 2017. – Pisanosaurus mertii and the Triassic ornithischian crisis: could phylogeny offer a solution?. – Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. 31 (8): 1–15. – Matthew G. Baron – 2018.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT