Lesothosaurus
"lizard from Lesotho"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Early Jurassic (199.6–190 Mya)
- Place
- Africa · South Africa
- Food
- Omnivore
- Clade
- Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Lesothosaurus is a monospecific genus of ornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic in what is now South Africa and Lesotho. It was named by paleontologist Peter Galton in 1978, the name meaning “lizard from Lesotho”. The genus has only one valid species, Lesothosaurus diagnosticus. Lesothosaurus is one of the most completely-known early ornithischians, based on numerous skull and postcranial fossils from the Upper Elliot Formation. It had a simpler tooth and jaw anatomy than later ornithischians, and may have been omnivorous in some parts of the year.
What we know
- Named by Galton, 1978.
- Fossils found in Africa and South Africa.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Lesothosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.