| Gojirasaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scale and skeletal diagram | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Genus: | †Gojirasaurus Carpenter, 1997 |
| Species: | †G. quayi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Gojirasaurus quayi Carpenter, 1997 | |
| Synonyms | |
Gojirasaurus is agenus ofcoelophysoidtheropoddinosaur named after the giant monster movie characterGodzilla. It lived in the Late Triassic Period, containing a single known species,Gojirasaurus quayi.
Gojirasaurus quayi was described and named byKenneth Carpenter in1997 based on a partial skeleton, theholotype specimen UCM 47221, fromQuay County, New Mexico. The holotype is an assortment of various postcranial bones, including a rightscapula, rightpubis, lefttibia, leftmetatarsal V,[1] fourvertebralcentra, aneural arch, and fragments of ribs andgastralia.[2] In addition, a single large serrated tooth is associated with the postcranial material. The holotype is housed in the collections of theUniversity of Colorado Museum of Natural History, in Boulder, Colorado.[2]
The specimen hails from purplish-greymudstones of theBull Canyon Formation (sometimes called theCooper Canyon Formation), a major fossiliferous component of theDockum Group in eastern New Mexico. In particular, it was found at a site in the vicinity of Revuelto Creek, the type locality for theRevueltian "faunachron".[3] The Revueltian is abiostratigraphic unit roughly equivalent to the mid-lateNorian stage of the Triassic Period, approximately 215–207 million years ago.[4] The Revuelto Creek fossils were deposited in the earlier part of the Revueltian, close to around 212 million years ago.[5]
Though it would not be formally named until 1997, the fossils ofGojirasaurus were frequently mentioned through the 1980s and 1990s, as a robustCoelophysis-like theropod from Revuelto Creek.[6][7] Among these preliminary accounts is a short description by Parrish & Carpenter (1986).[8] In 1994, an unpublishedthesis by Adrian Hunt attempted to name the Revuelto Creek theropod as "Revueltoraptor lucasi". Hunt's conception of the species included not just UCM 47221, but also numerous theropod-like fossils stored at the NMMNH (New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science). As a name, "Revueltoraptor lucasi" was never formally published, and later evaluations recognized that most of Hunt's additional fossils are likely fromShuvosaurus rather than theropods.[2]
Thegeneric nameGojirasaurus is derived from the name of the giant Japanese movie monster "Gojira" (Godzilla) and theGreek word "sauros" (σαυρος) meaning "lizard";[9] thus, "Godzilla lizard". Carpenter (1997) selected "Gojira" in reference to the relatively large size of this theropod, which exceeded that of its Triassic counterparts. Thespecific namequayi is a reference to Quay County.[2]
Gojirasaurus is one of the largesttheropods known from theTriassic Period, with an estimate total length of 5.5–6 metres (18–20 ft) long and a weight of at least 150 kilograms (330 lb).[2][10] Benson et al. (2018) estimated that it weighed around 190 kilograms (420 lb), only exceeded byHerrerasaurus among Triassiccarnivorousdinosaurs.[11] Carpenter (1997) pointed to features of thepelvis andankle suggesting that this was an immature individual, and could therefore have grown to even a larger size in maturity.[2] Christopher T. Griffin (2019) and Griffin andNesbitt (2020) confirmed thatGojirasaurus possessed features indicative of ontogenetic immaturity.[1][12]
According to Nesbittet al. (2007),Gojirasaurus can be distinguished based on the fact that itstibia is more robust than that of its relativeCoelophysis. Rauhut (2003) attempted to diagnose this genus based on the fact that the mid/posterior dorsalvertebrae had taller neural spines than those observed in othercoelophysoids.[13]
Griffin (2019) followed Nesbitt (2007)'s diagnosis onGojirasaurus and distinguishes it fromMegapnosaurus andDilophosaurus based on several characteristics of metatarsal V.[1]
Parrish and Carpenter (1986) drew similarities between UCM 47221 and "Halticosaurus liliensterni", a largeGermantheropod now known asLiliensternus. Both were assigned to the family "Procompsognathidae", though the authors acknowledged that family names in use at the time were provisional and likely to be obsolete in the future.[8] Conversely, Hunt (1994) and Hunt et al. (1998)[14] argued that the specimen is aherrerasaurid, alongside various other fossils from theLate Triassic ofNorth America.[15][16] The formal naming and description ofGojirasaurus by Carpenter (1997) firmly classified it withinCoelophysoidea. Many traits were comparable toCoelophysis,Dilophosaurus, and particularlyLiliensternus.[2]
Variousphylogenetic analyses in the 2000s supported coelophysoid affinities forGojirasaurus, close to or among the smallerCoelophysidae rather than withDilophosaurus.[13][17][18][19][20] Many studies noted that its remains are too fragmentary for further elaboration. Starting with Yates (2005), themonophyly of Coelophysoidea has been brought into question, withDilophosaurus resolving as more closely related toaverostrans (non-coelophysoid theropods).[18] In some analyses,Gojirasaurus maintains its position among the coelophysids,[18] but other studies instead bring it over to the lineage leading toDilophosaurus and averostrans.[21][22][23]
A persistent question regardingGojirasaurus quayi is how much of its fossil material actually belongs to one species.[15]Gojirasaurus coexisted withShuvosaurus, an unusualreptile with a toothless beak and bipedal stance. Though previously regarded as an aberrant dinosaur, by 2007 most specialists agreed thatShuvosaurus was actually more closely related to crocodilians, and that its dinosaur-like traits are merelyconvergent.[24] According to Nesbitt et al. (2007), some components of UCM 47221, such as the tibia and pubis, are clearly coelophysoid in form and distinct fromShuvosaurus.[15] However, other parts of the skeleton, such as the scapula and vertebrae, are not readily distinguishable fromShuvosaurus.[15] The serrated tooth could be from any number of large carnivorousarchosaurs which inhabited the area.[15]
Even the assuredly coelophysoid components of the skeleton have few unambiguous unique features. For example, the robust tibia is similar toCoelophysis-like fossils whichKevin Padian (1986) described fromPetrified Forest National Park in Arizona, only differing in size.[25][15][16] Several studies regardGojirasaurus as a "metataxon": a collection of fossils for which assignment to a single species can neither be proven nor disproven.[13][15] Nevertheless,Gojirasaurus persists in thescientific literature as a useful example of a large Triassic coelophysoid, validity notwithstanding.[11][1][12]
Gojirasaurus's assignment to theCoelophysoidea would suggest that it was a bipedal, terrestrial, actively mobilecarnivore.
TheRevuelto Creek area preserves a diverse fauna of both terrestrial and aquatic animals from theBull Canyon Formation.[6][8][7][26] On land,herbivorouspseudosuchians are quite common, including theshuvosauridShuvosaurus inexpectatus,[26] theaetosaursTypothorax coccinarum,[7][26]Paratypothorax,[7] andRioarribasuchus,[27] and the smallaetosauriformRevueltosaurus callenderi.[28] BothShuvosaurus andRevueltosaurus have previously been misidentified asdinosaurs.[7][26]
Among terrestrial carnivores,Gojirasaurus was joined by at least a few other true dinosaurs. Bull Canyon dinosaur fragments are sometimes identified ascoelophysids,herrerasaurids,[26] and/orChindesaurus,[7] but most are too fragmentary to assess in great detail.[15][1][5]Lepidosauromorphs,crocodylomorphs, and large carnivorousrauisuchians are also represented by rare fragments.[26] Particularly robustarchosauromorph limb fragments, previously thought to be from a late-survivingrhynchosaur ("Otischalkia"),[7][26] are probably frommalerisaurineazendohsaurids instead.[29] The earlyturtleChinlechelys tenertesta is a notable component of the terrestrial fauna.[30][31]
Phytosaurfossils are common at Revuelto Creek. One particularly impressive phytosaurskull was initially referred toSmilosuchus gregorii,[6][8] and later toArribasuchus buceros.[7] It and other Bull Canyon phytosaur remains most likely belong to a species ofMachaeroprosopus (Pseudopalatus).[26][32] Smallmetoposauridamphibians, sometimes identified as "Apachesaurus gregorii",[7][26] frequent the area alongside larger metoposaurids.[6][26] Variousfish inhabited the waterways:arganodontidlungfish,coelacanths (Quayia zideki), andactinopterygians.[6][26]
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