Shringasaurus
Name:
Shringasaurus
(horn lizard).
Phonetic: Shrin-gah-sor-us.
Named By: S. Sengupta, M. D. Ezcurra
& S. Bandyopadhyay - 2017.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Archosauromorpha, Allokotosauria, Azendohsauridae.
Species: S. indicus (type).
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Up to 4 meters long for the holotype
individual.
Known locations: India, Madhya Pradesh - Denwa
Formation.
Time period: Mid Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial skull, mostly
complete post cranial skeleton.
There
are many interesting archosaurs that lay within the Allokotosauria
group, and Shringasaurus is no exception.
Although the holotype
skull of Shringasaurus is incomplete, it is
enough to confirm that
this archosaur had large horns that rose up from above the eyes and
pointed forwards. Horns such as these are usually seen as a means of
display, though they may have also been weapons that rival
individuals competing for dominance may have used against one another.
There is speculation that these horns may have been larger in
males, perhaps even absent in females. However, this speculation
cannot be confirmed at the time of writing due to the lack of remains
of differing individuals.
As
far as the rest of the animal is concerned, Shringasaurus
was a
quadrupedal plant eating archosaur. The neck of Shringasaurus
was
fairly long in proportion to the body, something that would have
allowed a greater reach for feeding upon plants. This was a time when
early dinosaurs including longer necked sauropodomorph
dinosaurs were
only just starting to appear. The teeth of Shringasaurus
also have a
shape that suggests specialisation for eating plants. The limbs of
Shringasaurus seem to have been at least partially
sprawled out to the
sides, perhaps even fully so.
Further reading
- A new horned and
long-necked herbivorous stem-archosaur from the Middle Triassic of
India. - Scientific Reports. 7: 8366. - S. Sengupta,
M. D. Ezcurra & S. Bandyopadhyay - 2017.
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