Saturday, September 19, 2015

Kryptops Saturday

Kryptops is a little known genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in North Africa during the Early Cretaceous.‭ ‬At the time of the original description in‭ ‬2008,‭ ‬Kryptops was considered to be the most primitive known abelisaurid.‭ ‬Kryptops was described from a partial maxilla‭ (‬main and posterior tooth bearing bone in the upper jaw‭) ‬and associated post cranial remains.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬the maxilla was found approximately fifteen meters away from the post cranial remains,‭ ‬which has caused others to speculate that Kryptops may be a fossil‭ ‘‬chimaera‭’‬ with the post cranial fossils belonging to a different theropod.
       The Kryptops holotype was found in the Elhraz Formation and another abelisaurid called Eocarcharia is known from this Formation.‭ ‬Other Theropods include Elaphrosaurus and the spinosaur Suchomimus.‭ ‬Possible prey for Kryptops could include the sauropod Nigersaurus and the ornithischians Ouranosaurus and Lurdusaurus.




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