Dysalotosaurus

Dysalotosaurus ("uncatchable lizard") is a genus of herbivorous iguanodontian dinosaur. It was a dryosaurid iguanodontian, and its fossils have been found in late Kimmeridgian-age rocks (Late Jurassic) of the Tendaguru Formation of Lindi Region in Tanzania. The type and only species of the genus is D. lettowvorbecki. This species was named by Hans Virchow in 1919 in honor of the Imperial German Army Officer, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. For much of the 20th century the species was referred to the related and approximately contemporary genus Dryosaurus, but newer studies reject this synonymy. Discovery and naming Thousands of Dysalotosaurus bones and bone fragments have been recovered from the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania, Africa since 1909; the specimens described by Hans Virchow (1919) were discovered between 1909 and 1913. It has been suggested that all of these specimens were part of a herd that was killed in a mass death event. The genus was named by Hans Virchow in 1919, as opposed to Josef Felix Pompeckj (1920), who is often incorrectly cited as naming the genus. Description Dysalotosaurus was a small, relatively basal iguanodontian ornithopod. It lacked the large thumb spikes found in later iguanodontians, and was more adapted for bipedalism than its larger relatives with its short front limbs and long, counter-balancing tail. Dysalotosaurus had powerful and long hind limbs, suggesting it was relatively cursorial compared to Iguanodon and other members of the clade. Based on CT scans of the braincase, it is believed that Dysalotosaurus held its head dorsally (pointing straight forward) when not feeding. The same study also suggested, based on the morphology of the inner ear, that Dysalotosaurus was not able to discern between high- and low-frequency sounds (like most herbivorous dinosaurs). However, it also had other adaptations that are commonly associated with derived hearing abilities, rendering its sensory capabilities unclear.