Episode 133 is all about Lesothosaurus, a primitive dinosaur that lived in the Jurassic in what is now Lesotho.

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In this episode, we discuss:

News:

The dinosaur of the day: Lesothosaurus

Name means “lizard from Lesotho”

Ornithischian that lived in the Jurassic in what is now southern Africa (Lesotho)

Named by Peter Galton in 1978

Only one valid species: Lesothosaurus diagnosticus

Named for the country Lesotho, where it was found

Originally considered to be an ornithopod, but Paul Sereno suggested it could be the most primitive of known ornithischians

Had some primitive anatomy, like a partially closed hole in its pelvis by a medial wall (most dinosaurs did not have this)

Lesothosaurus has been sometimes confused with Fabrosaurus (an ornithischian from the same time and place, that was named in 1964). But only a jawbone and three teeth have been described of Fabrosaurus, so it’s hard to know for sure)

Richard Butler said in 2005 that Lesothosaurus was a basal member of Neornithischia (includes pachycephalosaurs, ceratopsians, ornithopods)

Could also be an early thyreophoran (same group as stegosaurs and ankylosaurs)

Richard Butler named a new dinosaur, Stormbergia dangershoeki, in 2005, and some scientists think it was an adult version of Lesothosaurus, which would make them synonyms. (In 2017, Baron, Norman & Barrett studied the differences between the two and found they were mostly because of their growth.)

Bipedal

About 3-6 ft (1-2 m) long

Had a small skull that was short and flat

Had large eye sockets and large cavities for the jaw muscles

Had a short, flexible neck

Had short forelimbs compared to its hindlimbs

Had five fingers on each hand (only 4 were well developed)

Had long, slender legs, small arms (hands could not really grasp things), and a slender tail

Probably was a fast runner

Had a beaklike structure

Beak was covered in keratinous material

Had leaf-shaped teeth behind the beak, and 12 fanglike teeth in front of the upper jaws

Could not chew its food, but could slice it with its beak

Omnivorous, probably (based on studies of its tooth, which found not enough wear)

Probably ate small animals and soft plants

May have been similar to a gazelle, browsing low-vegetation and running off when predators approached

May have lived in groups

In 2015, scientists CT scanned Lesotho skulls, which gave a much more detailed description of the skull and was used to refer more specimens to the genus.

These specimens were buried together, which is why scientists think they may have lived in groups

May have grown to adult size in 4 years

Fun Fact:

Using the term “chicken sized” to describe a dinosaur is problematic

A study in Poultry Science in 2014 bred 3 sets of birds from strains from

1957, 1978, 2005

After 56 days 900g, 1,800g, 4,200g (2lb, 4lb, 9.25lb) More than 4x increase in under 50 years The world record chicken “Big Boy” from Pennsylvania weighed over 24lbs (just under 11Kg) Approaching velociraptor weight One velociraptor specimen is estimated to be 15Kg But nowhere near velociraptor length—about 1.5m (5ft)



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