Chindesaurus

Not to be confused with Chilesaurus.
Chindesaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic, 213–210 Ma
↓
Restoration
Skeletal reconstruction of Chindesaurus bryansmalli. Known elements in white and light grey, and unknown in dark gray. Missing elements based on Tawa hallae.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Genus: †Chindesaurus
Long & Murray, 1995
Species:
†C. bryansmalli
Binomial name
†Chindesaurus bryansmalli
Long & Murry, 1995
Synonyms

Chindesaurus (/ˌtʃɪndɪˈsɔːrəs/ CHIN-diss-OR-əs) is an extinct genus of basal saurischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic (213-210 million years ago) of the southwestern United States. It is known from a single species, C. bryansmalli, based on a partial skeleton recovered from Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The original specimen was nicknamed "Gertie", and generated much publicity for the park upon its discovery in 1984 and airlift out of the park in 1985. Other fragmentary referred specimens have been found in Late Triassic sediments throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, but these may not belong to the genus.[1] Chindesaurus was a bipedal carnivore, approximately as large as a wolf.[2]

Chindesaurus's classification is debated, and various papers have had different conclusions on its affinities. Its fossils were originally believed to belong to "prosauropods" (basal sauropodomorphs), but its original description and numerous subsequent papers argued that it was a herrerasaurid[3][4][5] or herrerasaurian.[6] A 2019 redescription of its holotype considered Chindesaurus to be a theropod closely related to Tawa, a slightly smaller dinosaur known from the Hayden Quarry of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico.[1]

  1. ^ a b Marsh, Adam D.; Parker, William G.; Langer, Max C.; Nesbitt, Sterling J. (2019-05-04). "Redescription of the holotype specimen of Chindesaurus bryansmalli Long and Murry, 1995 (Dinosauria, Theropoda), from Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39 (3): e1645682. doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1645682. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 202865005.
  2. ^ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2012) Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages, Winter 2011 Appendix.
  3. ^ Long, Robert A.; Murry, Phillip A. (1995). "Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) tetrapods from the Southwestern United States". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 4: 1–254.
  4. ^ Bittencourt, J.; Kellner, W.A. (2004). "The phylogenetic position of Staurikosaurus pricei from the Triassic of Brazil". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (3, supplement): 39A. doi:10.1080/02724634.2004.10010643. S2CID 220415208.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Novas, Fernando E.; Agnolin, Federico L.; Ezcurra, Martín D.; Temp Müller, Rodrigo; Martinelli, Agustín G.; Langer, Max C. (October 2021). "Review of the fossil record of early dinosaurs from South America, and its phylogenetic implications". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 110: 103341. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103341.