Anchisauridae
Encyclopedia
The Anchisauridae were a group of early sauropodomorph dinosaur
s first proposed by Othniel Charles Marsh
in 1885. The clade
consists of Anchisaurus
and its nearest relatives. However, it is not clear which other genera
are included in the family; many of the dinosaurs once included have since been moved elsewhere. The family is not used much in current taxonomies; Benton
(2004) does not list the clade. The anchisaurids were once considered prosauropods, but new research indicates that they were closer to sauropods.
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...
s first proposed by Othniel Charles Marsh
Othniel Charles Marsh
Othniel Charles Marsh was an American paleontologist. Marsh was one of the preeminent scientists in the field; the discovery or description of dozens of news species and theories on the origins of birds are among his legacies.Born into a modest family, Marsh was able to afford higher education...
in 1885. The clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
consists of Anchisaurus
Anchisaurus
Anchisaurus is a genus of basal sauropodomorph, and was an early herbivorous dinosaur. Until recently it was classed as a member of Prosauropoda. The name comes from the Greek αγχι/agkhi...
and its nearest relatives. However, it is not clear which other genera
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...
are included in the family; many of the dinosaurs once included have since been moved elsewhere. The family is not used much in current taxonomies; Benton
Michael J. Benton
Michael J. Benton is a British paleontologist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and professor of vertebrate palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol....
(2004) does not list the clade. The anchisaurids were once considered prosauropods, but new research indicates that they were closer to sauropods.