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Heterodontosaurus
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Heterodontosaurus

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Heterodontosaurus is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic, 200–190 million years ago. Its only known member species, Heterodontosaurus tucki, was named in 1962 based on a skull discovered in South Africa. The genus name means "different toothed lizard", in reference to its unusual, heterodont dentition; the specific name honours G. C. Tuck, who supported the discoverers. Further specimens have since been found, including an almost complete skeleton in 1966.

Wikidata facts

Image
Heterodontosaurus skeleton.jpg
Length
1.2
Show 9 more facts
taxon name
Heterodontosaurus
Commons category
Heterodontosaurus
taxon rank
genus
Commons gallery
Heterodontosaurus
start time
200000000-
end time
190000000-
time period
Early Jurassic
location of discovery
Lesotho
main food source
herbivore
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~38 min read

Encyclopedic overview

14 sections
Contents
  • History of discovery
  • Description
  • Skull and dentition
  • Postcranial skeleton
  • Classification
  • Palaeobiology
  • Diet and tusk function
  • Tooth replacement and aestivation
  • Locomotion, metabolism and breathing
  • Growth and proposed sexual dimorphism
  • Palaeoenvironment
  • References
  • Works cited
  • External links

Heterodontosaurus is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic, 200–190 million years ago. Its only known member species, Heterodontosaurus tucki, was named in 1962 based on a skull discovered in South Africa. The genus name means "different toothed lizard", in reference to its unusual, heterodont dentition; the specific name honours G. C. Tuck, who supported the discoverers. Further specimens have since been found, including an almost complete skeleton in 1966.

Though it was a small dinosaur, Heterodontosaurus was one of the largest members of its family, reaching between and possibly in length, and weighing between . The skull was elongated, narrow, and triangular when viewed from the side. The front of the jaws were covered in a horny beak. It had three types of teeth; in the upper jaw, small, incisor-like teeth were followed by long, canine-like tusks. A gap divided the tusks from the chisel-like cheek-teeth. The body was short with a long tail. The five-fingered forelimbs were long and relatively robust, whereas the hind-limbs were long, slender, and had four toes.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Heterodontosaurus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (12)