Isasicursor santacrucensis
Isasicursor was a genus of neornithischian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period. Its type species is I. santacrucensis. The first specimen was found in the Chorillo Formation in Patagonia, Argentina in 2019. About 16 other specimens were referred to the genus, representing at least 4 individuals.
Isasicursor means "Isasi's runner," referring to Marcelo P. Isasi, the species' discoverer.
Its autapomorphies include a ventrally curved sacrum, peg-and-socket articulation between the first and second sacral vertebrae, the tibia's cnemial crest is proximally projected and thickened, the tibia has an additional anterolateral process on the lateral condyle, and metatarsal II has a proximally displaced indent for a ligament on its lateral surface.
Isasicursor was a bipedal herbivorous dinosaur. It would have been around 4 meters long. While there have been no further cladistic analyses performed, it was initially placed in Elasmaria, which, if correct, would make it the youngest known ornithopod from South America.
Original paper: Novas, F., Agnolin, F., Rozadilla, S., Aranciaga-Rolando, A., Brissón-Eli, F., Motta, M., Cerroni, M., Ezcurra, M., Martinelli, A., D'Angelo, J., Álvarez-Herrera, G., Gentil, A., Bogan, S., Chimento, N., García-Marsà, J., Lo Coco, G., Miquel, S., Brito, F., Vera, E., Loinaze, V., Fernandez, M., & Salgado, L. (2019). Paleontological discoveries in the Chorrillo Formation (upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous), Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, 21(2), 217-293.
Wikipedia article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isasicursor
Tags: #dinosaur #dinosauria #paleoart#paleontology#artwork#original art#human artist#[genus] #[family/clade] #[family/clade] #[family/clade] #obscure fossil animals
