Callovosaurus (meaning "Callovian lizard") was a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur discovered in Middle Jurassic deposits of England. It was probably a dryosaurid around 8 feet long.
History and description[]
Originally named as a species of Camptosaurus in 1889, it was named as an official genus by Peter Galton in 1980. The type specimen consisted of a nearly complete thigh bone discovered in the Oxford Clay Formation and was designated to BMNH R1993. Since then, a partial tibia has been attributed to the genus. Callovosaurus leedsi is the type species.
With very few fossils of it existing, Callovosaurus’s appearance is uncertain, though it likely looks like its relatives. Similar to other ornithopods, it could walk on all four legs and its hind legs. It probably clipped plants with its toothless beak and ground them with rows of tough cheek teeth.
Paleoecology[]
It shared its home with theropods, sauropods, ancient crocodiles, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, corals, fish, sharks, mollusks, crustaceans, pliosaurs, the stegosaurs Loricatosaurus and Lexovisaurus, and the early ankylosaur Sarcolestes. It probably had camouflage patterns that helped it blend in with the surrounding trees and vegetation.
In popular culture[]
- Callovosaurus appeared in Jurassic Park Institute website on Dinopedia.
- Callovosaurus appeared in the 2020 line of Jurassic World toys.
Gallery[]
Callovosaurus/Gallery