Tochisaurus

To-che-sor-us.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Tochisaurus ‭(‬Ostrich lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

To-che-sor-us.

Named By

S.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Kurzanov‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬Osm�lska‭ ‬-‭ ‬1991.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Thropoda,‭ ‬Deinonychosauria,‭ ‬Troodontidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

T.‭ ‬nemegtensis‭

Size

Metatarsus‭ ‬24.2‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Second metatarsal‭ ‬22.2‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Precise body length unknown.

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nemegt Formation.‭

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Metatarsal and metatarsus‭ (‬foot bones‭)‬.

In Depth

       Not too much can be said about Tochisaurus because so far it is only known from a couple of foot bones,‭ ‬However these bones do seem to be most similar to those seen in troodontid dinosaurs.‭ ‬Additionally with lengths of‭‭ ‬about twenty-four and twenty-two centimetres long,‭ ‬the foot bones of Tochisaurus do indicate that the genus would have been towards the larger end of the size spectrum from known troodontid dinosaurs.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Tochisaurus nemegtensis gen.‭ ‬et sp.‭ ‬n.,‭ ‬a new troodontid dinosaur‭ (‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Theropoda‭) ‬from Mongolia.‭ ‬Acta Palaeontologica Polonica‭ ‬36‭(‬1‭)‬:69-76.‭ ‬-‭ ‬S.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Kurzanov‭ & ‬H.‭ ‬Osm�lska‭ ‬-‭ ‬1991.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT