Ischigualastia
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| Mounted skeleton of Ischigualastia jenseni | |
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Ischigualastia
Cox, 1962
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Ischigualastia was a dicynodont (a group of mammal-like reptiles) that lived during the Carnian age of the Late Triassic Period. From the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina, it was a member of the family Stahleckeriidae.[1]
Description
An enormous dicynodont, with a short, high skull, and lacking tusks.[2] It is regarded as larger than its later, more famous relative Placerias, which was up to 3.5 meters long (11.5 ft) and weighed one to two tonnes (1.1 to 2.2 short tons).
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File:Ischigualastia.jpg
Life restoration of I. jenseni
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File:Ischigualastia scale.svg
Size of I. jenseni relative to a human
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Paleoecology
It was a large quadrupedal herbivore, most common at the base of the Ischigualasto Formation. It was a common member of the local fauna, although not as abundant as the medium-sized herbivores Scaphonyx and Exaeretodon. The only danger to such a huge animal was the almost equally large carnivorous pseudosuchian Saurosuchus. It is likely that pressure from this predator pushed Ischigualastia into extinction, for it becomes less common and finally disappears in the higher levels of the Ischigualasto Formation. A somewhat smaller relative or descendant, Placerias, survived in Laurasia.[2]
See also
References
External links
- Ischigualastia at Palaeos.com.
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