Efraasia

Taxobox|
name = "Efraasia"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Late Triassic
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo = Dinosauria
ordo = Saurischia
subordo = Sauropodomorpha
genus = "Efraasia"
genus_authority = Galton, 1973
binomial = "Efraasia minor"
binomial_authority = (Fraas, 1908)
synonyms = "Teratosaurus minor"Fraas, 1908

"Efraasia" (pronounced "E-FRAHS-ee-A") was a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur. It was a quadrupedal herbivore which lived during the Late Triassic around 210 million years ago, in what is now Germany. It is named after Eberhard Fraas, its discoverer. "Efraasia" was approximately 20 feet (6 m) in length.

Classification and history

The fossils of "Efraasia" have been misidentified at least four times. Originally the fossils that would become known as "Efraasia" were mixed in with an unrelated rauisuchian. The mixed-up fossils were named "Teratosaurus" by Friedrich von Huene in 1908, and when the mistake was discovered by Eberhard Fraas, the rauisuchian portions inherited the "Teratosaurus" name. Fraas actually considered "Efraasia" to be synonymous with another dinosaur, "Thecodontosaurus". In 1932 it was identified as "Palaeosaurus".

By 1984, it was thought the remaining fossils were actually portions of a juvenile "Sellosaurus", but eighteen years later, were finally identified as a separate genus. The name "Efraasia" was given to these fossils. Some internet sites still confuse the two genera. "Efraasia" was once thought to be a relatively small dinosaur, but this was because the known fossils were from a juvenile animal. "Efraasia" attained a length of 6 meters in adulthood.

"Efraasia" is a primitive sauropodomorph, somewhat more advanced than "Thecodontosaurus", but less advanced than prosauropods like "Plateosaurus" and sauropods like "Anchisaurus". Like many primitive sauropodomorphs, "Efraasia" might have been partially bipedal and partly quadrupedal.

The type species is "E. minor".

References

* http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/330Sauropodomorpha/330.100.html
* http://www.users.qwest.net/~jstweet1/sauropodomorpha.htm
* http://www.users.qwest.net/~jstweet1/dinoef.htm