Daemonosaurus
Daemonosaurus chauliodus
Daemonosaurus is an extinct genus of possible theropod dinosaur from the Late Triassic of New Mexico. The only known fossil is a skull and neck fragments from deposits of the latest Triassic Chinle Formation at Ghost Ranch. Daemonosaurus was an unusual dinosaur with a short skull and large, fang-like teeth. It lived alongside early neotheropods such as Coelophysis, which would have been among the most common dinosaurs by the end of the Triassic. However, Daemonosaurus retains several plesiomorphic ("primitive") traits of the snout, and it likely lies outside the clade Neotheropoda. It may be considered a late-surviving basal theropod or non-theropod basal saurischian, possibly allied to other early predatory dinosaurs such as herrerasaurids or Tawa.
- Family
- Daemonosauridae
- Order
- Saurischia
- Period
- Triassic (205 Ma)
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Length
- 1.5 m
- Weight
- 10 kg
- Type locality
- New Mexico, USA
- Holotype
- NMMNH P-67984
- PBDB
- txn:182712