Laquintasaura

Laquintasaura
Temporal range: Early Jurassic, Hettangian
Reconstruction of Laquintasaura venezuelae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Ornithischia
Genus: Laquintasaura
Barrett et al., 2014
Species:
L. venezuelae
Binomial name
Laquintasaura venezuelae
Barrett et al., 2014

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.


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