Describer

Broom, 1911

Time

Jurassic Early Hettangian Sinemurian

Classification

Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Prosauropoda Massospondylidae

Diet

Herbivore

Fossilsite

Upper Elliot Formation, Orange Free State, South Africa

Fall Under

Massospondylus

Info

Massospondylus = Aetonyx (Broom, 1911) Aristosaurus (Hoepen, 1920) Dromicosaurus (Hoepen, 1920) Gryponyx (Broom, 1911)) Gyposaurus (Broom, 1911) Massospondylus > M.carinatus (Owen, 1854) >> Aetonyx palustris (Broom, 1911) Anchisaurus capensis (Galton, 1976) = Gyposaurus capensis (Broom, 1911) Aristosaurus erectus (Hoepen, 1920) Dromicosaurus gracilis (Hoepen, 1920) Gryponyx africanus (Broom, 1911) Gryponyx taylori (Haughton, 1924) Massospondylus browni (Seeley, 1895) Massospondylus harriesi (Broom, 1911) Massospondylus schwarzi (Haughton, 1924) Thecondontosaurus browni (Huene, 1932) Thecondontosaurus dubius (Haughton, 1924), Thecodontosaurus skirtopodus (Seeley, 1894)

Massospondylus > Massospondylus kaalae (Barrett 2009)

Aetonyx palustris (\\\"Eagle claw\\\") is based on the smallest of three dinosaurian type specimens collected by A. R. Walker from J. L. Harries\\\'s farm in the Orange Free State, (the other two were the types of Massospondylus harriesi and Gryponyx africanus). They were actually three specimens of different sizes belonging to the same prosauropod species, M.carinatus. A. palustris type specimen was about two-thirds adult size.