Loricatosaurus Dinosaur is an extinct genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Middle Triassic Period. It was discovered in the late 19th century in what is now Ladakh, India. The genus was named and described in 1899 by German paleontologist Franz Baron Nopcsa von Felso-Szilvas. Loricatosaurus belonged to the family Fabrosauridae, which consists of small, early ornithischian dinosaurs.
Loricatosaurus was assumed to be a relative of Heterodontosaurus, which is why it was named after the Heterodontosauridae. However, more recent phylogenetic analyses suggest that it is more closely related to the basal ankylosaurian Scelidosaurus, making it an early example of an ankylosauromorph, an extinct group of armored dinosaurs that ultimately gave rise to the ankylosaurids.
Loricatosaurus Facts :
| Name: | Loricatosaurus Dinosaurs |
| Size: | 8 meters |
| Main Facts: | Loricatosaurus is an extinct genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Middle Triassic Period. It was discovered in the late 19th century in what is now Ladakh, India. |
Loricatosaurus is known from several incomplete specimens, mostly consisting of several partial skeletons. Its total body length is estimated to be about one and a half meters. In spite of its small size, it still had several unique features that set it apart from other ornithischians. One of Loricatosaurus' most distinctive features was its armor. Its body was covered in numerous small bony plates called osteoderms, which gave it a scaly, crocodilian-like appearance. This especially armored body was in sharp contrast to the mostly unarmored bodies of its relatives.
The head of Loricatosaurus was even more peculiar. It possessed a pair of elongated, curved horns on its brow that formed a "V" shape. It also featured a single horn on the top of its head and a pair of long, tapering horns on the sides of its snout. All of these horns, along with its osteoderms, suggest that Loricatosaurus was well-adapted for both defense and offense. Like many of its relatives, Loricatosaurus likely ate a variety of plants. Not much else is known about the behavior or ecology of Loricatosaurus. It likely lived in warm, wet habitats near rivers and swamps. It was probably restricted to a small area of the world, given its limited range.
