Day 189#: Genusaurus sisteronis
Merry day eighteen of Dino-December! Today's animal of the day is Genusaurus sisteronis!
Image credit: cisiopurple on DeviantArt
This relatively small species of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur lived during the Early Cretaceous period, around 112-100 million years ago, in what is now France. Its remains were discovered some time between 1984 and 1986, but it wouldn't be until 1995 that this dinosaur would finally be formally named and described. Its genus name means "knee lizard", in reference to the cnemial crest at the end of its tibia. This is the little crest-like protrusion found on the knee bones of many animals, and is where the main extensor muscle of the thigh attaches. Its species name, sisteronis, is a reference to the town of Sisteron, which is located near where the remains of Genusaurus were first discovered. Genusaurus was one of the smallest known abelisaurids, and was only around 12 ft long, and is estimated to have weighed somewhere between 77 and 110 pounds.
