Nyasasaurus
Encyclopedia
"Nyasasaurus" is the informal name
given to an as yet undescribed genus
of reptile
from the Triassic
, first published in English
paleontologist
Alan J. Charig
's doctoral dissertation
in the 1950s. Occasionally misspelled as "Nyasaurus", it was originally believed to have been a primitive prosauropod dinosaur
, but this theory is now disputed. One source, The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, states the specimen measured 2.1 meters (7 ft) in length and was otherwise typical for a prosauropod. The encyclopedia also states that the fossils were recovered from Lake Nyasa, Tanzania
, and may date from the Middle Triassic.
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
given to an as yet undescribed genus
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 reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
from the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
, first published in English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
paleontologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
Alan J. Charig
Alan J. Charig
Alan Jack Charig was an English palaeontologist and writer who popularised his subject on television and in books at the start of the wave of interest in dinosaurs in the 1970s....
's doctoral dissertation
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
in the 1950s. Occasionally misspelled as "Nyasaurus", it was originally believed to have been a primitive prosauropod dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
, but this theory is now disputed. One source, The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, states the specimen measured 2.1 meters (7 ft) in length and was otherwise typical for a prosauropod. The encyclopedia also states that the fossils were recovered from Lake Nyasa, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, and may date from the Middle Triassic.
External links
- "Nyasasaurus" in the Dinosaur Encyclopedia at DinoRuss' Lair
- Discussion of "Nyasasaurus" from the Dinosaur Mailing List