Emausaurus
Encyclopedia
Emausaurus is a genus
of thyreophora
n or armored dinosaur
from the Early Jurassic
. Its fossils have been found in Germany
. It is known from a skull and partial postcranial remains, although only the skull is known well. Armor includes conical scutes and tall, spiny elements.
The type species
, Emausaurus ernsti, was formalized by Harmut Haubold in 1990. The generic
name is composed of is an acronym of Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald (Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität or EMAU) and Greek sauros/σαυρος (lizard). The specific name is derived from the name of geologist Werner Ernst, who found the fossils, holotype
SGWG 85, in 1963 near Grimmen
, in strata dating from the Toarcian
.
The maximal length of Emausaurus has been estimated at around two metres. It was, despite its small size, probably quadrupedal and ate low vegetation.
Cladistic analyses showed that Emausaurus was a basal member of the Thyreophora
, more derived than Scutellosaurus
, but less than Scelidosaurus
.
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 thyreophora
Thyreophora
The Thyreophora were a subgroup of the ornithischian dinosaurs...
n or armored 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...
from the Early Jurassic
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period...
. Its fossils have been found in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is known from a skull and partial postcranial remains, although only the skull is known well. Armor includes conical scutes and tall, spiny elements.
The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, Emausaurus ernsti, was formalized by Harmut Haubold in 1990. The generic
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...
name is composed of is an acronym of Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald (Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität or EMAU) and Greek sauros/σαυρος (lizard). The specific name is derived from the name of geologist Werner Ernst, who found the fossils, holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
SGWG 85, in 1963 near Grimmen
Grimmen
Grimmen is the capital of Vorpommern-Rügen, a district in the Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.-Geography:Grimmen is located in southeastern Nordvorpommern on the banks of the river Trebel, about 30 km south of Stralsund and 30 km west of Greifswald. The town is connected to...
, in strata dating from the Toarcian
Toarcian
The Toarcian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, an age or stage in the Early or Lower Jurassic. It spans the time between 183.0 Ma and 175.6 Ma...
.
The maximal length of Emausaurus has been estimated at around two metres. It was, despite its small size, probably quadrupedal and ate low vegetation.
Cladistic analyses showed that Emausaurus was a basal member of the Thyreophora
Thyreophora
The Thyreophora were a subgroup of the ornithischian dinosaurs...
, more derived than Scutellosaurus
Scutellosaurus
Scutellosaurus is a genus of herbivorous dinosaur that lived in North America around 200 to 196 million years ago, in the Early Jurassic times....
, but less than Scelidosaurus
Scelidosaurus
Scelidosaurus is a genus of quadrupedal, lightly plated, herbivorous dinosaur about long. It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, during the Hettangian to Sinemurian stages around 199.6 to 194 million years ago. Its fossils have been found in both England and in Arizona, in the United...
.