Describer

Simmons, 1965

Time

Jurassic Early Hettangian Sinemurian Pliensbachian

Classification

Ornithischia Thyreophora

Diet

Herbivore

Fossilsite

Dark Red Beds of the Lower Lufeng Formation [= Fengjiahe Formation], Yunnan, China

Length

2 meter

Info

Genus - Typespecies

Isolated dentary.

Tatisaurus was synonymized with Scelidosaurus, with Tatisaurus oehleri renamed Scelidosaurus oehleri Lucas, S.G. 1996. The thyreophoran dinosaur Scelidosaurus from the Lower Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China. pp. 81-85, in Morales, M. (ed.),The Continental Jurassic. Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin 60.

However, he did not demonstrate that the similarities were derived rather than shared primitive thyreophoran characters, so this synonymy is a bit weak at present.

Tatisaurus is the earliest known member of the dinosaurian order Thyreophora, a group that included various types of armoured dinosaurs. It is still not very far removed from its [Fabrosaur] ancestors.