#guaibasaurus

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Guaibasaurus candelariensis

Source: thewoodparable

Name: Guaibasaurus candelariensis

Name Meaning: Guaíba Lizard 

First Described: 1999

Described By: Bonaparte et al. 

Classification: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Sauropodmoprha, Guaibasauridae 

Guaibasaurus was a sauropodmoprh from Paleorrota, near Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. It lived about 216.5 to 212 million years ago, during the Norian age of the Late Traissic. The posture of the skeleton, was found, was similar to the resting position of birds, a position usually found only in maniraptorans closely related to birds. Guaibasaurus may have thus rested in this position to conserve body heat. Its phylogenetic position is a little confusing, as it wasn’t very much like sauropodomorphs - but it also wasn’t very much like theropods. It was about 1.8 meters long and the consensus seems to be that it was a very primitive sauropodomorph; its diet is relatively uncertain. 

Sources: 

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/g/guaibasaurus.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaibasaurus

Shout out goes to paperboatarmada!

[palaeopedia]

The Rio Guaíba hydrographic basin lizard, Guaibasaurus (1999)

Phylum : Chordata Class : Reptilia Order : Saurischia Suborder : Sauropodomorpha Family : Guaibasauridae Genus : Guaibasaurus Species : G. candelariensis

Late Triassic (230 - 210 Ma)

About 1,80 m long (size)

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (map)

The first true dinosaurs--which evolved about 230 million years ago, during the late Triassic period--preceded the split between ornithischian ("bird-hipped") and saurischian ("lizard-hipped") members of the breed, which has presented some challenges, classification-wise. Long story short, paleontologists can't tell whether Guaibasaurus was an early theropod dinosaur (and thus primarily a meat-eater) or an extremely basal prosauropod, the herbivorous line that went on to spawn the gigantic sauropods of the late Jurassic period. (Both theropods and prosauropods are members of the saurischia.) For now, this ancient dinosaur, discovered by Jose Bonaparte, has tentatively been assigned to the latter category, though more extant fossils would put the conclusion on more solid ground.

Guaibasaurus reconstitution

[famouslesbiansasdinosaurs]

Gibasaurus.