Koparion
Encyclopedia
Koparion is a genus
of small theropod dinosaur
, known only from isolated teeth. Koparion douglassi, the type specimen
, was described by Chure in 1994, who believed it to be a coelurosauria
n theropod, possibly one of the oldest known troodontids. Found in Utah
, the fossil
is from the late Jurassic
Period (Kimmeridgian
stage
, around 150-155 million years ago). Present in stratigraphic zone 6 of the Morrison Formation.
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 small theropod 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...
, known only from isolated teeth. Koparion douglassi, the type specimen
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...
, was described by Chure in 1994, who believed it to be a coelurosauria
Coelurosauria
Coelurosauria is the clade containing all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds than to carnosaurs. In the past, it was used to refer to all small theropods, although this classification has been abolished...
n theropod, possibly one of the oldest known troodontids. Found in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
is from the late Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
Period (Kimmeridgian
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age or stage in the Late or Upper Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian and precedes the Tithonian....
stage
Faunal stage
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries.Rock...
, around 150-155 million years ago). Present in stratigraphic zone 6 of the Morrison Formation.
See also
- List of dinosaurs
- WDC DML 001WDC DML 001WDC DML 001 is an as-yet undescribed, substantially complete, fossil of a small troodontid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of east – central Wyoming...
- Another troodontid reported from the Jurassic.