Episode 220 is all about Mussaurus, the “mouse lizard” sauropodomorph from Argentina.

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In this episode, we discuss:

A new Amargasaurus relative, Bajadasaurus, was described with some amazing neck spines source

A dinosaur foot including feathers and scutes was found preserved in amber source

The original feather that defined Archaeopteryx may not belong to Archaeopteryx as it’s now defined source

A new dinosaur fossil went on display in Japan and may be the county’s oldest dinosaur fossil source

An event called Teach Rex in Liverpool in the UK source

The new owner of a Flintstones theme park in Arizona plans to partially repurpose it for birding source

A new website is digitizing bird skeletons, so far mostly from New Zealand source

Both Dippy the Diplodocus and Trix the T. rex will soon be on display together in Glasgow, Scotland source

There’s a new play in the UK about Gideon Mantell, called Dinomania source

Sauropodomorph that lived in the Late Triassic in what is now southern Argentina (El Tranquilo Formation)

Name means “mouse lizard”

Found in the 1970s by Jose Bonaparte and team (found eggs and hatchlings)

Described in 1979 by Jose Bonaparte and Martin Vince

Found small juveniles and infant skeletons at first (about mouse-sized, and the reason for mouse name); found seven juveniles and a couple eggs. Nest was about 215 million years old

Juveniles were between 7.8 to 14.5 in (20 to 37 cm) long

Now some adult specimens have been found (one subadult and three adults)

Adult specimens described in 2013

Some specimens were described in 1980 but were classified at the time as Plateosaurus

Could grow up to 10 ft (3 m) long and weighed up to 150 lb (70 kg)

Juveniles had shorter snouts, larger nasal bones, and larger eye sockets than adults

Eggs had thin shells

Had long forelimbs, so probably was quadrupedal (walked on four legs)

Since some hatchlings were near the nest with the eggs, may indicate some parental care (also, with juveniles had different proportions than adults)

May have been herbivorous, and may have also eaten insects

Type species is Mussaurus patagonicus

Mentioned in The Lost World novel by Michael Crichton (the character Richard Levine picks up a small Mussaurus on Isla Sorna early on in the book)

Also in the comic series Jurassic Park: Redemption

Mussaurus

Fun Fact: Gizzards can present a problem for dinosaurs when they eat something sharp.

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