Glacialisaurus

Taxobox|
name = "Glacialisaurus"
fossil_range = Early Jurassic
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo = Dinosauria
ordo = Saurischia
subordo = Sauropodomorpha
familia = ?Massospondylidae
genus = "Glacialisaurus"
genus_authority = Smith & Pol, 2007
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "G. hammeri" Smith & Pol, 2007 (type)

"Glacialisaurus" is a genus of early sauropodomorph dinosaur from the early Jurassic Hanson Formation of Antarctica. First described by Nathan Smith and Diego Pol in 2007, the type species, "G. hammeri", is known only from a partial fossilized hind limb and foot.cite journal |last=Smith |first=Nathan D. |coauthors=and Pol, Diego |year=2007 |title=Anatomy of a basal sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic Hanson Formation of Antarctica |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=52 |issue=4 |pages=657–674 |url=http://www.app.pan.pl/acta52/app52-657.pdf |format=pdf ] In their phylogenetic analysis of the relationships of "Glacialisaurus", Smith and Pol found that it was a non-eusauropod sauropodomorph more advanced than other forms such as "Saturnalia" and "Plateosaurus". Features of its foot are similar to "Lufengosaurus" (from the Early Jurassic of China), and the phylogenetic study suggests that "Lufengosaurus" may have been a close relative of "Glacialisaurus". The discovery of "Glacialisaurus" is important to the study of the early distribution of sauropod dinosaurs. The presence of this primitive sauropodomorph in the Hanson Formation (which has also yielded remains attributed to true sauropods) shows that both primitive and advanced members of this lineage existed side by side in the early Jurassic Period.

The name "Glacialisaurus" is derived from the Latin word "glacialis", meaning "icy" or "frozen", in reference to the Beardmore Glacier region in the Central Transantarctic Mountains, where the fossil remains were found.cite web
title =A big find | work =Scientists describe previously undiscovered dinosaur that lived 190 million years ago | publisher =The Antarctic Sun | date =December 20, 2007 | url =http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/science/contenthandler.cfm?id=1300 | format =web | doi = | accessdate =2008-01-13 ] The type species, "G. hammeri", was named for Dr. William R. Hammer of Augustana College, who made major contributions to both paleontology and Antarctic research.

References

Smith, N.D., Makovicky, P.J., Pol, D., Hammer, W.R., and Currie, P.J. (2007). " [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1047/srp/srp003/of2007-1047srp003.pdf The Dinosaurs of the Early Jurassic Hanson Formation of the Central Transantarctic Mountains: Phylogenetic Review and Synthesis] ". "U.S. Geological Survey and The National Academies" doi:10.3133/of2007-1047.srp003