Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

ad
(Already a member? Click here.)


ZoomDinosaurs.com
ALL ABOUT DINOSAURS!
What is a Dinosaur? Dino Info Pages Dinosaur Coloring Print-outs Name That Dino Biggest, Smallest, Oldest,... Evolution of Dinosaurs Dinos and Birds Dino Myths

MUSSAURUS
"Mouse Lizard"

Mussaurus ANATOMY
Mussaurus (pronounced moo-SAWR-us) was a small, early, plant-eating dinosaur. No adult Mussaurus fossils have been unearthed. Only large-eyed hatchling (baby) Mussaurus have been found. They were only 9-16 inches long (18-37 cm); these are the smallest dinosaur skeletons yet found. The entire young dinosaur could fit in a person's hand. This prosauropod dinosaur was perhaps up to 10 feet long (3 m) as an adult, weighing roughly 260 pounds (120 kg). It had a long neck, long tail, a small head with a long snout, and large, five-fingered hands with a large thumb claw (and smaller claws on the other fingers). Its back legs were larger than its front legs.

Fossilized eggs have also been found; they are only about 1 inch long (2.5 cm). Coloradisaurus may be the adult version of Mussaurus.

WHEN MUSSAURUS LIVED
Mussaurus lived about 215 million years ago, during the late Triassic period. Among its contemporaries in the late Triassic in South America were Eoraptor, Riojasaurus, Coloradisaurus (which may be the same as Mussaurus), Frenguellisaurus, Herrerasaurus, Ischisaurus, Pisanosaurus, and Staurikosaurus .

ENVIRONMENT
Mussaurus lived in a dry, almost desert-like environment in what is now southern Argentina, South America.

CLASSIFICATION
Mussaurus was a Saurischian dinosaur, the order of lizard-hipped dinosaurs. It was a prosauropod or sauropodomorpha (long-necked, semi-quadrupedal herbivores that includes Massospondylus, Mussaurus, and Plateosaurus). The type species is M. patagonicus.

BEHAVIOR
Mussaurus may have congregated in herds, and may have migrated seasonally across the arid (dry) European landscape during the late Triassic period, but this not certain.

DIET AND TEETH
Mussaurus was an herbivore (a plant eater). It was probably able to rear up on its back legs in order to graze on tall vegetation, like conifers and cycads. Its sharp teeth let it tear these tough leaves from the plants. It may have swallowed tiny pebbles and small stones to help in the digestion of the tough leaves and other plant material that it ate. These gizzard stones (gastroliths) would help grind up the food in the stomach.

INTELLIGENCE
Musaurus was a sauropodomorpha, a primitive dinosuar whose intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was the lowest among the dinosaurs.

EQ


DEFENSE
Mussaurus had short claws on its front and rear limbs, and weak, leaf-shaped teeth. These paltry defenses were probably not very effective against large predators, which had much bigger claws, sharper, stronger teeth, and were more powerful overall. Its best defense was to run away.

MussaurusLOCOMOTION
Mussaurus walked on two muscular legs, but may have been able to run on all four legs also (its back legs were longer than its front legs).

DISCOVERY OF FOSSILS
Ten fragmentary juvenile fossils, 4 skulls, and eggs have been found in the El Tranquilo Formation, Santa Cruz, Argentina. Mussaurus was named by paleontologists José Bonaparte and Martin Vince in 1979.



Information Sheets About Dinosaurs
(and Other Prehistoric Creatures)

Just click on an animal's name to go to that information sheet. If the dinosaur you're interested in isn't here, check the Dinosaur Dictionary or the list of Dinosaur Genera. Names with an asterisk (*) were not dinosaurs.
How to write a great dinosaur report.

For dinosaur printouts, click here.

For brief dinosaur fact sheets, click here.





Enchanted Learning®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

Overview of Site
What's New
Enchanted Learning Home
Monthly Activity Calendar
Books to Print
Site Index

K-3
Crafts
K-3 Themes
Little Explorers
Picture dictionary
PreK/K Activities
Rebus Rhymes
Stories
Writing
Cloze Activities
Essay Topics
Newspaper
Writing Activities
Parts of Speech

Fiction
The Test of Time

Biology
Animal Printouts
Biology Label Printouts
Biomes
Birds
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Food Chain
Human Anatomy
Mammals
Plants
Rainforests
Sharks
Whales
Physical Sciences: K-12
Astronomy
The Earth
Geology
Hurricanes
Landforms
Oceans
Tsunami
Volcano
Languages
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese (Romaji)
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish
Geography/History
Explorers
Flags
Geography
Inventors
US History

Other Topics
Art and Artists
Calendars
College Finder
Crafts
Graphic Organizers
Label Me! Printouts
Math
Music
Word Wheels

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail


Enchanted Learning Search

Search the Enchanted Learning website for:



Advertisement.

Advertisement.




Copyright ©2000 EnchantedLearning.com ------ How to cite a web page