Heterodentosaurus tucki is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur. It lived during the Early Jurassic, 200–190 million years ago. The genus name means ‘different toothed lizard’ in reference to its unusual, heterodent dentition. It is thought to have been herbivorous, or at least omnivorous.
About Heterodontosaurus in brief
Heterodontosaurus is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic, 200–190 million years ago. Its only known member species, Heterodentosaurus tucki, was named in 1962 based on a skull discovered in South Africa. The genus name means ‘different toothed lizard’ in reference to its unusual, heterodent dentition. The specific name honours G. C. Tuck, who supported the discoverers. Though it was a small dinosaur, it was one of the largest members of its family, reaching between 1. 18 m and possibly 1. 75 m in length. It had three types of teeth; in the upper jaw, small, incisor-like teeth were followed by long, canine-like tusks. The body was short with a long tail. It is thought to have been herbivorous, or at least omnivorous. Though formerly thought to be capable of quadrupedal locomotion, it is now thought to has been bipedal. The holotype specimen was discovered during the British–South African expedition to South Africa and Basutoland in 1961–1962. It was excavated on a mountain at an altitude of about 1,890 m, at a locality called Tyinindini, in the district of Transkei in the Cape Province. The specimen consists of a crushed but nearly complete skull; associated postcranial remains mentioned in the original description could not be located in 2011. The skeleton was fully described in 1980, and is the most complete Heteroderontosaurus skeleton to date.
The species is not directly related to the Tyrannosaurus rex, which was found in the same area of South Africa in the early 1980s. Its closest affinities within the group are debated, and it is not known if it was related to any other dinosaur species. The fossil is housed in the Iziko South African Museum, which is owned by the South African National Museum and the National Museum of Nature and Science, Johannesburg. It can be ordered by clicking here for more information on how to get your hands on a copy of the Heterodeontosaurus book, or to visit the museum’s online store, which has a collection of dinosaur books and other dinosaur paraphernalia. The book is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. It has been translated into more than 20 languages. The first edition of the book was published by the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1970. The second edition was published in 1976. The third and fourth editions were published in 1978 and 1979, and are available in French and German. The fourth and fifth editions have been published in English and German, respectively, in 1979 and 1980. The fifth and sixth editions were released in 1982 and 1983. The last edition was released in English in 1984 and 1983, and the sixth and seventh editions in 1984.
You want to know more about Heterodontosaurus?
This page is based on the article Heterodontosaurus published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 20, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
