Nordenosaurus
Encyclopedia
Nordenosaurus is an extinct genus
of alligatoroid
. When first named in 1973 the genus was thought to be a squamate and was assigned to the family
Xenosauridae
. Fossil
s have been found from the Norden Bridge locality of the lower Valentine Formation in Brown County
, Nebraska
, thought to date back to the late Miocene
. The specific name of the type species, N. magnus, alludes to its extremely large size in comparison to other xenosaurids known at the time. Nordenosaurus was thought to have had an arboreal lifestyle before its reclassification.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of alligatoroid
Alligatoroidea
Alligatoroidea is a superfamily of crocodilians that evolved in the Late Cretaceous period. Cladistically, it is defined as Alligator mississippiensis and all crocodylians more closely related to A. mississippiensis than to either Crocodylus niloticus or Gavialis gangeticus ....
. When first named in 1973 the genus was thought to be a squamate and was assigned to the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Xenosauridae
Xenosauridae
The Xenosauridae is a family of lizards native to Central America and China. Also known as knob-scaled lizards, they have rounded, bumpy scales and osteoderms. Most species prefer moist or semi-aquatic habitats, although they are widespread within their native regions, with some even inhabiting...
. Fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been found from the Norden Bridge locality of the lower Valentine Formation in Brown County
Brown County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,525 people, 1,530 households, and 996 families residing in the county. The population density was 3 people per square mile . There were 1,916 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, thought to date back to the late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
. The specific name of the type species, N. magnus, alludes to its extremely large size in comparison to other xenosaurids known at the time. Nordenosaurus was thought to have had an arboreal lifestyle before its reclassification.
External links
- Nordenosaurus in the Paleobiology DatabasePaleobiology Database' is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms.-History:The Paleobiology Database was founded in 2000. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council...