| Pantydraco | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Life reconstruction | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Genus: | †Pantydraco Galtonet al., 2007 |
| Species: | †P. caducus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Pantydraco caducus (Yates, 2003) Galtonet al., 2007 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pantydraco (where "panty-" is short for Pant-y-ffynnon, signifyinghollow of the spring/well inWelsh, referring to the quarry atBonvilston inSouth Wales where it was found)[1] is agenus ofbasalsauropodomorphdinosaur from theLate Triassic of theUnited Kingdom (Wales). It is based on a partialjuvenile skeleton once thought to belong toThecodontosaurus. Only one valid species ofPantydraco is recognised:P. caducus.[2]
Pantydraco was of moderate build. The creature had a long tail that tapered towards the end and was broad at the hip joint. It had a pointed head with a strong jaw. The forelimbs of the dinosaur were developed for grasping while the hindlimbs were adapted for supporting the creature's body weight. The center of mass lies near the pelvic bone, suggesting the creature was bipedal. The forelimbs were shorter than the hindlimbs. The hands had three movable digits while the fourth digit was embedded. It had well-developed claws. The juvenile fossils’ estimated height is from about 0.7 to 1 metre (2 ft 4 in to 3 ft 3 in). Adults are believed to have been about three metres (9 ft 10 in) long. The estimated weight for an average adult of this species of dinosaurs is about 50 kilograms (110 lb). Thus, the creature was fairly gracile. The teeth were well developed.[3]
In 2003, Adam Yates named the new speciesThecodontosaurus caducus for NHMUK PV RUP 24 (formerly BMNH P 24), a skull, a partial jawbone, and vertebrae of the cervix, an incomplete right pelvic bone, and partial forelimbs of an immature sauropodomorph that had been discovered in 1952 by Kermack and Robinson.[4] This material had been known in the scientific literature since 1983, and had been used to represent the genusThecodontosaurus.[5][6] However, changed understanding of the relationships and characteristics of basal sauropodomorphs (also known asprosauropods) has led Peter Galton, Yates, and D. Kermack to giveT. caducus its own genus.[7] The genus was named after the Pant-y-ffynnon quarry where it was discovered.
Pantydraco takes its name from the "pant" ofPant-y-ffynnon quarry, meaning valley of the spring, and "draco" (a dragon or mythical dragon-like creature in Latin). This is because the quarry is located near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, in Southern Wales, at the base of a mountain between two rivers. As 'y' means '(of) the' in Welsh, the genus name is somewhat grammatically incorrect. The species epithet,caducus, means "fallen" in Latin, referring to the assumption that it fell into a fissure fill (quarry) and died there.[4]
Pantydraco is considered to have most probably been omnivorous, being at the transition from carnivory to herbivory in the sauropodomorph lineage. It is probable thatPantydraco would have walkedbipedally.[2]
The Pant-y-ffynnon region was a characteristic wetland during the Triassic. The area consists of alluvial silts deposited by the rivers and sand and limestone. The climate ranges from arid to semi-humid.[3]
