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LUSITANOSAURUS
(loo-se-tan-o-sore-us)
meaning: "Portugal lizard"
Named By: AlbertinFelix de Lapparent & Georges Zbyszewski in 1957
Time Period: Early Jurassic
Location: Portugal
Size: Unknown due to lack of remains
Diet: Herbivore
Fossil(s): Partial left maxilla and seven teeth
Classification: | Chordata | Reptilia | Dinosauria | Ornithischia | Thyreophora | Ankylosauria |
About

Lusitanosaurus (meaning "Portuguese lizard") is a genus of basal thyreophoran dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Portugal.

The genus was first described by Albert-Felix de Lapparent and Georges Zbyszewski in 1957. The type species is Lusitanosaurus liasicus. The generic name is derived from Lusitania, the ancient Latin name for the region. The specific name refers to the Lias.

The holotype is part of the collection of the Museu de Historia Natural da Universidade de Lisboa. The exact location of the find and the date of collection are unknown, which makes a correct geological dating difficult, but it can be inferred from the matrix rock that it has been discovered near Sao Pedro de Moel, in strata from the Sinemurian (Early Jurassic). This would make it the oldest known dinosaur from Portugal. The fossil consists of a single partial left maxilla, an upper jaw bone, with seven teeth.

Originally assigned to the Stegosauria by de Lapparent, Lusitanosaurus is today considered a basal member of the Thyreophora, perhaps belonging to the Scelidosauridae. Some authors consider it a nomen dubium.

Read more about Lusitanosaurus at Wikipedia
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