Arkansaurus

Name: Arkansaurus ‭(‬Arkansas lizard‭)‬.
Phonetic: Ar-kan-sor-us.
Named By: R.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Hunt‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Quinn‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Ornithomimosauria.
Species: A.‭ ‬fridayi‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Uncertain.
Size: Unknown due to lack of remains.
Known locations: USA,‭ ‬Arkansas.
Time period: Albian to Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial foot consisting of three metatarsals,‭ ‬four phalanges,‭ ‬and three claws.




       First discovered in‭ ‬1973,‭ ‬Arkansaurus was due to be formally named in‭ ‬1977,‭ ‬tragically however the papers author Dr.‭ ‬James H.‭ ‬Quinn was killed in a fall while searching for fossils.‭ ‬Because the paper was not formally published,‭ ‬the name Arkansaurus was technically not valid.‭ ‬The name Arkansaurus however was not unknown and even got‭ ‬printed in popular science.‭ ‬Arkansaurus was even named the state dinosaur of Arkansas in‭ ‬2017,‭ ‬and in‭ ‬2018‭ ‬a paper formally describing the genus was published.
       As a dinosaur,‭ ‬Arkansaurus was an ornithomimosaur.‭ ‬At the time of writing Arkansaurus is known only from a single partially preserved foot.‭ ‬The claws of the foot have strong curves,‭ ‬something that makes Arkansaurus stand out from other ornithomimosaurs that usually have flat claws.‭ ‬Many relative genera of ornithomimosaurs have been confirmed to have been feathered.‭ ‬By association it is likely that Arkansaurus would‭ ‬have had a feather covering,‭ ‬but the extent and placement is unknown.

Further reading
-‭ ‬A new ornithomimosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Trinity Group of Arkansas.‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬38‭(‬1‭)‬:e1421209:1-12.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Hunt‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Quinn‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.



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