Small and agile, the Agilisaurus has a very interesting history when it comes to unearthing dinosaur fossils. We will find out some details about this interesting herbivore dinosaur in this small article titled 15 interesting Agilisaurus facts. So, if you are ready let’s begin:
[wc_box color=”primary” text_align=”left”]
At a Glance
Name: Agilisaurus
Lived: 170-160 million years ago.
Status: Extinct.
Diet: Plants.
Locomotion: Bipedal and Quadrupedal.
Size: 4 feet
Weight: 75 pounds to 100 pounds.
Special Characteristics: Still tail, long hind legs, beak-like structure in lower and upper jaws.
Named by: Peng Guangzhou – a Paleontologist.
Place of discovery: Dashanpu Quarry of China.
[/wc_box]
Interesting Agilisaurus Facts: 1-15
1. Agilisaurus is a word that has been derived from Latin and Greek. Agilis in Latin means agile while sauros from Greek means lizard. Together, the word Agilisaurus means Agile Lizard.
2. The name suggests that the dinosaur was blessed with agility and this is evident from its lightweight skeleton structure and also its long hind legs.
3. The Agilisaurus lived during the Middle Jurassic Period, particularly during the Bathonian to Callovian age.
4. In terms of years, this dinosaur lived some 170 to 160 million years ago in woodlands of an area which is now eastern Asia.
5. The first fossil that was found in Dashanpu Quarry of China was nearly complete except for some parts of the left front as well as hind leg missing.
6. One of the most interesting Agilisaurus facts is that the first near complete specimen that was found was actually found in the area where a new dinosaur museum was in construction. It was in China and the specimen thus discovered is displayed in Zigong Dinosaur Museum.
7. The stiff tail, the long hind legs and the lightweight skeletal build suggests that the dinosaur could run at a very high speed.
8. After studying the scleral rings carefully, scientists have suggested that Agilisaurus was diurnal by nature, which means it rested during the night and stayed very active during the day times.
9. This dinosaur was an herbivore and measured no longer than 1.2 meters, which is about 4 feet in length.
10. The maximum weight of the dinosaur reached a 100 pounds which the average weight of the dinosaur used to be 75 pounds.
11. Peng Guangzhou – a Chinese paleontologist gave the genus name Agilisaurus in 1990. He also named the species louderbacki.
12. One of the most fascinating Agilisaurus facts is that both its upper and lower jaws had a beak-like structure which was meant for cropping plant material.
13. Of course, while running this dinosaur took a bipedal stance but paleontologists think that while browsing for food, the dinosaur might have walked on all its four legs.
14. Because of its stiff tail, long hind legs and slender body shape, many paleontologists have classified as ornithopod dinosaur – one of the earliest of its kind. However, paleontologists have failed to come to a unanimous conclusion on the exact place of Agilisaurus in the ornithopod family tree.
15. Some believe that the Agilisaurus had a close relation with Fabrosaurus or Heteredontosaurus or possibly it even sat intermediate between earliest marginocephalians (an herbivore dinosaur family that included ceratopsians and pachycephalosaurs) and true ornothipods. In short, Agilisaurus is hard to classify.