Genus
Valid Extinct

Thecodontosaurus

Riley and Stutchbury 1836

Thecodontosaurus is a genus of herbivorous basal sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived during the late Triassic period. Its remains are known mostly from Triassic "fissure fillings" in southern England. Thecodontosaurus was a small bipedal animal, about 2 m (6.6 ft) long. It is one of the first dinosaurs to be discovered and is one of the oldest that ever existed. Many species have been named within the genus, but only the type species Thecodontosaurus antiquus is seen as valid today.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
14
Group
Dinosaures
Terrestrial
Thecodontosaurus
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Wikimedia
Thecodontosaurus
Thecodontosaurus
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Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Saurischia Unranked clade
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Sauropodomorpha Unranked clade
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Thecodontosaurus Genus
Measurements
Length
3 m ⓘ
Thecodontosaurus antiquus
2,5 m ⓘ
Mass
34 kg ⓘ
Thecodontosaurus antiquus
Fossil sites 14 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
7
🇩🇪 Germany
2
🇫🇷 France
2
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
2
🇱🇸 Lesotho
1
Geological formations
Forest Sandstone
2
Magnesian Conglomerate
1
Elliot
1
Temporal distribution
Sinemurian (199.5–192.9 Ma)
3
Rhaetian (205.7–201.4 Ma)
5
Norian (227.3–205.7 Ma)
1
Carnian (237–227.3 Ma)
2
Ladinian (241.464–237 Ma)
1
Anisian (247–241.464 Ma)
2
Species (4)
Thecodontosaurus antiquus 237 Ma
Thecodontosaurus latespinatus nomen vanum, species not entered Thecodontosaurus 247 Ma
Thecodontosaurus minimus 201 Ma
Thecodontosaurus subcylindrodon nomen vanum, species not entered Thecodontosaurus
Synonyms (2)
Thecodontosaurus latespinatus nomen vanum, species not entered Thecodontosaurus
Thecodontosaurus subcylindrodon nomen vanum, species not entered Thecodontosaurus
Bibliography
Original description
H. Riley and S. Stutchbury. 1836. A description of various fossil remains of three distinct saurian animals discovered in the autumn of 1834, in the Magnesian Conglomerate on Durdham Down, near Bristol. Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 2:397-399
Bibliography (13)
T. van den Berg, D. I. Whiteside, and P. A. Viegas, R. Schouten, M. J. Benton. 2012. The Late Triassic microvertebrate fauna of Tytherington, UK. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 123:638-648 DOI ↗
B. Edwards and S. E. Evans. 2006. A Late Triassic microvertebrate assemblage from Ruthin Quarry, Wales. 9th International Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biota, Abstracts and Proceedings Volume
M. J. Benton and P. S. Spencer. 1995. Fossil Reptiles of Great Britain. Chapman & Hall, London DOI ↗
P. Ellenberger. 1970. Les niveaux paléontologiques de première apparition des mammifères primoridaux en Afrique du Sud et leur ichnologie. Establissement de zones stratigraphiques detaillees dans le Stormberg du Lesotho (Afrique du Sud) (Trias Supérieur à Jurassique) [The paleontological levels of the first appearance of primordial mammals in southern Africa and their ichnology. Establishment of detailed stratigraphic zones in the Stormberg of Lesotho (southern Africa) (Upper Triassic to Jurassic). In: S. H. Haughton (ed.), Second Symposium on Gondwana Stratigraphy and Paleontology, International Union of Geological Sciences. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria
W. A. Macfadyen. 1970. Geological Highlights of the West Country. A Nature Conservancy Handbook DOI ↗
G. Bond. 1955. A note on dinosaur remains from the Forest Sandstone (Upper Karroo). Occasional Papers of the National Museums of Southern Rhodesia 2(20):795-800
J. J. Thomasset. 1930. Le bone-bed rhétien de la vallée de la Dheune [The Rhaetian bonebed of the Dheune valley]. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 4e série 30(9):1115-1120
A. M. MacGregor. 1929. Fossil reptilian remains from Glen Curragh Farm, Nyamandhlovu District. Proceedings of the Rhodesia Scientific Association 29:6-7
F. v. Huene. 1914. I: Animalia. Pars 4. Saurischia et Ornithischia triadica (“Dinosauria” triadica).
F. v. Huene. 1905. Trias-Dinosaurier Europas [European Triassic dinosaurs]. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft 57:345-349 DOI ↗
C. Moore. 1891. Excursion to Bath. Whit-Monday, June 2nd, and following day. A Record of Excursions Made Between 1860 and 1890
A. Gaudry. 1890. Les Enchainements du Monde Animal dans les Temps Geologiques. Fossiles Secondaires
R. Owen. 1842. Report on British fossil reptiles, part II. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 11:60-204