| Lesothosaurus Temporal range: Early Jurassic,
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|---|---|
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| MNHN LES 17, a skull | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia |
| Clade: | †Saphornithischia |
| Clade: | †Genasauria |
| Genus: | †Lesothosaurus Galton, 1978 |
| Type species | |
| †Lesothosaurus diagnosticus | |
| Synonyms | |
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Lesothosaurus is a monospecific genus of ornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic in what is now South Africa and Lesotho. It was named by paleontologist Peter Galton in 1978, the name meaning "lizard from Lesotho". The genus has only one valid species, Lesothosaurus diagnosticus. Lesothosaurus is one of the most completely-known early ornithischians, based on numerous skull and postcranial fossils from the Upper Elliot Formation.[1][2][3] It had a simpler tooth and jaw anatomy than later ornithischians, and may have been omnivorous in some parts of the year.[4]
- ^ Sereno, Paul C. (1991-06-20). "Lesothosaurus, "Fabrosaurids," and the early evolution of Ornithischia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 11 (2): 168–197. Bibcode:1991JVPal..11..168S. doi:10.1080/02724634.1991.10011386. ISSN 0272-4634.
- ^ Porro, Laura B.; Witmer, Lawrence M.; Barrett, Paul M. (2015-12-21). "Digital preparation and osteology of the skull of Lesothosaurus diagnosticus (Ornithischia: Dinosauria)". PeerJ. 3: e1494. doi:10.7717/peerj.1494. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4690377. PMID 26713245. S2CID 510709.
- ^ Baron, Matthew G.; Norman, David B.; Barrett, Paul M. (2017-01-01). "Postcranial anatomy of Lesothosaurus diagnosticus (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Lower Jurassic of southern Africa: implications for basal ornithischian taxonomy and systematics". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 179 (1): 125–168. doi:10.1111/zoj.12434. ISSN 0024-4082.
- ^ Sciscio, Lara; Knoll, Fabien; Bordy, Emese M.; Kock, Michiel O. de; Redelstorff, Ragna (2017-03-01). "Digital reconstruction of the mandible of an adult Lesothosaurus diagnosticus with insight into the tooth replacement process and diet". PeerJ. 5: e3054. doi:10.7717/peerj.3054. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5335715. PMID 28265518. S2CID 17069570.