Laquintasaura Temporal range: Early Jurassic, Hettangian
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Reconstruction of Laquintasaura venezuelae | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | †Ornithischia |
Genus: | †Laquintasaura Barrett et al., 2014 |
Species: | †L. venezuelae
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Binomial name | |
†Laquintasaura venezuelae |
Laquintasaura is a genus of Venezuelan ornithischian dinosaur containing only the type species Laquintasaura venezuelae. The species was the first dinosaur to have been identified from Venezuela. It is known from extensive remains, all from a single bonebed locality which has been sampled for specimen blocks over the course of several expeditions, largely led by Marcelo R Sánchez-Villagra. A small animal, it is known for its distinct dental anatomy and for being one of the earliest and most primitive ornithischians in the fossil record. Taxonomic uncertainty has led to conflicting hypotheses that it is either as the base of Ornithischia or at the base of the subgroup Thyreophora. In either model, its dating to around 200 million years ago at the start of the Jurassic, existence in equatorial latitudes, and primitive nature make it a key insight into early ornithischian evolution. It is thought that Laquintasaura would have lived in groups and had a possible omnivorous diet, living on a seasonal alluvial plain and being preyed upon by the contemporary Tachiraptor.