Day 354#: Gasparinisaura cincosaltensis
Today's animal of the day is Gasparinisaura cincosaltensis!
Image credit: Timothy J. Bradley (Jurassic Park Institute)
This species of small herbivorous dinosaur lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 83 million years ago, in what is now Argentina. It was first discovered in 1992 near the city of Cinco Saltos (which it was partly named after) by a team led by the late Zulma Nélida Brandoni de Gasparini. Not only did she lead the team that discovered Gasparinisaura, but she is also the namesake of this little dino and is considered an expert in South American Mesozoic reptiles. At first, it was only known from a single partial skeleton that thankfully had its skull attached. But then in 2008, three more specimens were discovered, all of which were juveniles.
Image credit: cisiopurple on DeviantArt
Gasparinisaura was about 5.6 ft long and is estimated to have only weighed around 29 lb. It was bipedal, meaning that it only walked on its two hind legs, which were much longer and more muscular than its comparatively tiny front limbs. The three juvenile specimens that were discovered in 2008 had a bunch of rocks in their stomachs, which are believed to have been gastroliths. These are stones swallowed for the specific purpose of grinding up tough plant matter inside of the dinosaurs' stomachs, since their teeth were better adapted for stripping leaves from branches instead of chewing. Lots of other dinosaurs did the same thing, as well as many species of modern dinosaurs (birds).
