- Podokesaurus
Taxobox
name = "Podokesaurus"
status = Fossil
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo =Saurischia
subordo =Theropod a
familia =Coelophysidae
genus = "Podokesaurus"
genus_authority = Talbot, 1911
subdivision_ranks =Species
subdivision =
* "P. holyokensis" (type)"Podokesaurus" ("swift-footed lizard") was a small carnivorous
dinosaur of theEarly Jurassic Period (originally thought to beLate Triassic ), and as such is one of the earliest known dinosaurs to inhabit the easternUnited States [http://paleo.amnh.org/fossil/show.html?cat_num=FR%202976] . The small, bipedal carnivore was about 90 cm (3 ft) long and 45 cm (1 ft 6 in) tall. It has been estimated that it could run at 14 - 19 km/h (9 - 12 mph), hence the name. There is also some speculation that it is related to (or is) theTriassic species, "Coelophysis " [http://paleo.amnh.org/fossil/class.html?jump=SaurischiaC] . The only fossils of "Podokesaurus holyokensis" (the full name given by Talbot) were recovered in 1911 byMount Holyoke College professor ofgeology andgeography ,Mignon Talbot from a boulder near to the college. [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~dalbino/books/lester/dinosaur.html] It was formally described that year based on a poorly preserved, incompletefossil skeleton .This fossil evidence suggests that it may not be a distinct
genus but in fact aspecies of "Coelophysis ", standing 1 m (3 ft) long and 0.3 m (1 ft) high, and weighing 4 kg (10 lb). The matter is complicated because all the original fossil evidence for "Podokesaurus holyokensis" was destroyed in afire and only casts remain in "The Division of Paleontology" at the "American Museum of Natural History", New York. [http://paleo.amnh.org/]References
* Colbert, E.H. (1964) "The Triassic dinosaur genera Podokesaurus and Coelophysis". Am. Mus. Novitates 2168: 1-12.
*Talbot, M., 1911, "Podokesaurus holyokensis, a new dinosaur of the Connecticut Valley": American Journal of Science, v. 31, p. 469-479.
* [http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/faq/dino-faqs/pdq256.html Coleophysis] - relation to Late Triassic, "Coleophysis," from the "Illinois State Geographical Survey"
* [http://www.nhm.org/journey/prehist/saur/coelophysis.html Coelophysis] - relation to Late Triassic, "Coleophysis," from the "Natural History Museum of Los Angeles"
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
