Podokesaurus
Podokesaurus was a small, speedy dinosaur that lived in what is now Massachusetts, USA, during the Early Jurassic Period. It was a meat-eater with sharp teeth and hollow bones, built for running fast after tiny prey.1
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Fun facts
Podokesaurus could run at about 15 to 20 kilometers per hour (9 to 12 miles per hour).1
The only known fossil of Podokesaurus was lost in a fire in 1917, and no other definite specimens have been found since.1
Mignon Talbot, who discovered and named Podokesaurus in 1911, was the first woman to find and describe a non-bird dinosaur.1
A small piece of polished quartz was found among the ribs of Podokesaurus, and scientists think it might have been a gastrolith (stomach stone).1
Podokesaurus had hollow, lightweight bones, which helped it be a fast runner.1
Its lower leg bones were much longer than its upper leg bones, an adaptation for speed.1
Most asked questions about Podokesaurus
?How big was Podokesaurus?
About 1 meter (3 feet) long and weighed between 1 and 4 kilograms (2 to 9 pounds).1
?What did Podokesaurus eat?
It was a meat-eater (carnivore) with sharp teeth, and it hunted small prey.1
?When did Podokesaurus live?
It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, about 201 to 190 million years ago.1
?Where was Podokesaurus found?
In Massachusetts, USA, near Mount Holyoke in the Connecticut Valley.1
?Why was Podokesaurus named that?
Its name means 'swift-footed lizard of Holyoke' in Greek, because it was a fast runner.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Podokesaurus was the same as Coelophysis.
Truth: Scientists now believe Podokesaurus was a separate genus of coelophysoid dinosaur, not the same as Coelophysis.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Podokesaurus
- Named by
- Talbot 19113
- Group
- Meat-eating dinos
- Family / clade
- Coelophysidae3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Coelophysoidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 227 to 193 million years (Norian / Sinemurian)3
- Rock formations
- Portland3
- Countries
- USA3
- Fossil records
- 26 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Geologist Mignon Talbot found the fossil near Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1910. She named it Podokesaurus holyokensis in 1911.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly where in the Portland Formation the Podokesaurus fossil came from, so its exact age is uncertain.1
Where the facts come from
- Podokesaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Podokesaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Podokesaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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