alphynix:Lurdusaurus, an unusual ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Republic of Ni
alphynix:Lurdusaurus, an unusual ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Republic of Niger (~121-112 mya) – a region known for other odd dinosaurs like Ouranosaurus and Nigersaurus.Estimated to have reached up to 9m long (29′6″), it was proportioned very differently from its close relatives, with short stocky limbs, a wide barrel-shaped body, and a long neck. The bones of its hind feet also suggest the presence of a large fleshy pad to help support its weight.Basically, it looked an awful lot like an iguanodont trying to mimic a sauropod.Sometimes it’s also interpreted as a semi-aquatic hippo-like animal, wading around the extensive waterways that stretched across North Africa at the time. There’s currently no fossil evidence for this, however, so until somebody does a detailed study of its anatomy we can only speculate what Lurdusaurus was actually doing.Man, other dinosaurs really loved trying to be sauropods. You’ve got Lurdusaurus, then there’s also Miragaia, which is a stegosaur trying to be a sauropod, and therizinosaurs, which are theropods trying to be sauropods. Then there’s non-dinosaurs like azhdarchids, which are basically pterosaurs trying to be sauropods. Just let the sauropods do their thing, guys. -- source link
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