Genus
Valid Extinct

Sefapanosaurus

Otero et al. 2015

Sefapanosaurus was an early, herbivorous sauropodomorph dinosaur occurring in the southern regions of Gondwana some 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic or Early Jurassic. The sauropodomorphs were the dominant terrestrial herbivores throughout much of the Mesozoic Era, from their origins in the mid-Triassic until their decline and fall at the end of the Cretaceous. A distinctive feature of this dinosaur is the cross-shaped astragalus or talus bone in its ankle. The generic name is derived from the Sesotho word sefapano, meaning ‘cross’ and the Greek word saurus, meaning 'lizard'. The specific name refers to Zastron, the type locality, where the specimen was discovered.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Dinosaures
Terrestrial
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
Saurischia Unranked clade
Sauropodomorpha Unranked clade
Massopoda Unranked clade
Sauropodiformes Unranked clade
Sefapanosaurus Genus
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇿🇦 South Africa
1
Geological formations
Elliot
1
Temporal distribution
Norian (227.3–205.7 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Sefapanosaurus zastronensis 227 Ma
Bibliography
Original description
A. Otero, E. Krupandan, and D. Pol, A. Chinsamy, J. Choiniere. 2015. A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 174:589-634 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
A. Otero, E. Krupandan, and D. Pol, A. Chinsamy, J. Choiniere. 2015. A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 174:589-634 DOI ↗