In Depth
A medium sized iguanodontid, dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of the USA, Planicoxa is established upon the partial remains of several individuals. As an iguanodontid, Planicoxa would have been a primarily quadrupedal dinosaur, though one with the capability to rear up and walk on just its hind legs when it needed to. Planicoxa would have also likely had a hardened keratinous beak to the front of its mouth so that it could easily crop mouthfuls of vegetation from plants. A second species of Planicoxa created from fossils previously assigned to Camptosaurus and named P. depressa, has now been removed and used to establish the genus Osmakasaurus in 2011.
Hailing from the Cedar Mountain Formation, Planicoxa may have been hunted by the larger predators of the time like Utahraptor and the huge Acrocanthosaurus. Smaller predators such as Deinonychus may have also posed a threat, especially if some of the theories about pack hunting dinosaurs are correct.
Further Reading
- A new ornithopod from the Cedar Mountain Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of eastern Utah, Tony DiCroce & Kenneth Carpenter - 2001.
