Abrictosaurus
Abrictosaurus consors
Pronounced: ah - Brick - toe
-Saw-rus
Diet: Herbivore (plant eater)
Name Means: "Wide Awake Lizard"
Length: 4 feet (1.3 m)
Height: 1.3 feet (35 cm)
Weight: unknown
Time: Early Jurassic 200 mya
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in
Africa
Abrictosaurus provides more evidence that dinosaurs originated in
or near what is now South America. This little plant-eating dinosaur
lived at the very beginning of the Jurassic Period and looked like
many of the early dinosaurs. It would have walked on its hind legs
and been a swift runner. Although the fossils were discovered in
South Africa, scientists know that this region was once attached to
South America during the Jurassic Period. Paleontologists think that
the dinosaurs spread out all over the region by migration, a type of
travel that spreads animals to different parts of the world. So far,
the earliest dinosaur fossils have been discovered in South America
and the surrounding lands that were connected to it during the Early
Mesozoic.
 What scientists know of Abrictosaurus comes mostly from the skull
fragments of a single specimen. This specimen is believed to be a
female of the genus Heterodontosaurus. It is believed to be of
this genus because it possesses similar dentition, although it lacks
large canines. |
