Silesaurus opolensis lived during the Carnian subperiod of the Triassic. It was an herbivore and small; the length was about 2.3 meters. Fossilized remains of it have been found in the Keuper Claystone of Silesia, Poland. Dzik Mikoluszko described and named Silesaurus in 2002. Silesaurus could walk on all fours or upright on just the two hind legs. It was light and built for speed.
The teeth were small and conical. They were also serrated. The tip of the dentary has not teeth; some paleontologists think that it may have been covered by a beak.
Mikoluszko thinks that Silesaurus was not a dinosaur. He points out that these features are lacking in Silesaurus:
an enlarged deltopectoral crest
epiphyses on the cervical vertebrae
However, it should be noted that Silesaurus has these characteristics in common with dinosaurs:
a brevis shelf
ischium with a slender shaft
femur with a reducted tuberosity that borders the ligament of the femoral head
a prominent lesser trochanter
an overlap of the ascending process of the astralagus with the tibia
a concave proximal articular surface for the reception of the distal end of the fibula on the calcaneum.
The teeth were small and conical. They were also serrated. The tip of the dentary has not teeth; some paleontologists think that it may have been covered by a beak.
Mikoluszko thinks that Silesaurus was not a dinosaur. He points out that these features are lacking in Silesaurus:
an enlarged deltopectoral crest
epiphyses on the cervical vertebrae
However, it should be noted that Silesaurus has these characteristics in common with dinosaurs:
a brevis shelf
ischium with a slender shaft
femur with a reducted tuberosity that borders the ligament of the femoral head
a prominent lesser trochanter
an overlap of the ascending process of the astralagus with the tibia
a concave proximal articular surface for the reception of the distal end of the fibula on the calcaneum.
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© 2006 CM Studio
All Rights Reserved
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