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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Wannanosaurus Information


Wananosaurus


Anatomy
Wananosaurus (named after the chinese province where its very incomplete skeleton was found) was a tiny homalocephalid dinosaur about 2 feet (60 cm) long. It was a very priitive pachycephalosaur (related to pachycephalosaurus and stegocerus, other dinosaurs with thick skulls that probably engaged in head butting activities). The homalocephalids had thick but flat topped skulls. It was a herbivore that walked on two strong legs, had short arms, a stiff talk,and a thick set body.

Behavior
Wannanosaurus may have been a herding dinosaur that lived in small groups in coastal and upland regions.Running was probably the first line of self defence. There Thick skulls may have been used for ramming rivers during mating and dominance combat for attracting matles and as a last self defence against predators.

Classification
Wannanosaurus was an Ornithschian dinosaur, the order of bird hipped, herbivorous dinosaur. It was a member of the group Morginocephalia and was the largest and the last member of the group pachycephalosauria and the family Homaocephalidae. Wannanosaurus may be the most primitive pachycephalosaur.


When Wannanosaurus Lived

Wannanosaurus lived during the late cretaceous period, about 83 to 73 million years ago.


Diet

Wannanosaurus was an herbivore, eating soft plants fruits, seeds. It`s teeth were small and sharp.


Locomotion

Wannanosaurus walked on 2 legs and was not a very fast dinosaur. It may have gone on all fours to forage for low-lying plants.


Discovery of fossils

Wannanosaurus was named by the Chinese paleontologist Hou in 1977. Fossils have been found in China.

10 comments:

  1. that dinosaurus you got there is realy great.By Casey

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  2. very interesting.

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  3. WHAT Chinese province? There are none named Wannano!

    Yunnan? Wuhan?

    Thanks!

    ahogenauer@lmu.edu

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  4. Not sure which of the provinces you suggested, many of these names have changed. But I did find out that this was one of our classes (of 9 year olds) information sources:

    Wannanosaurus (meaning "Wannano lizard", named after the location where it was discovered) is a genus of basal pachycephalosaurian dinosaur from the Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous Xiaoyan Formation, about 80 million years ago (mya) in what is now Anhui, China. The type species, Wannanosaurus yansiensis, was described by Lian-Hai Hou in 1977.[1]
    from Wikipedia

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