Elaphrosaurus
| Elaphrosaurus Temporal range: Kimmeridgian ~ | |
|---|---|
| Holotype skeleton mounted (skull, hands and other elements speculative and likely outdated), Natural History Museum of Berlin | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Noasauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Elaphrosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Elaphrosaurus Janensch, 1920 |
| Species: | †E. bambergi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Elaphrosaurus bambergi Janensch, 1920 | |
Elaphrosaurus (/ɛˌlɑːfroʊˈsɔːrəs/ el-AH-froh-SOR-əs) is a genus of ceratosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 154 to 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic Period in what is now Tanzania in Africa. Elaphrosaurus was a medium-sized but lightly built member of the group that could grow up to 6.2 m (20 ft) long. Morphologically, this dinosaur is significant in two ways. Firstly, it has a relatively long body but is very shallow-chested for a theropod of its size. Secondly, it has very short hindlimbs in comparison with its body. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that this genus is likely a ceratosaur. Earlier suggestions that it is a late surviving coelophysoid have been examined but generally dismissed. Elaphrosaurus is currently believed to be a very close relative of Limusaurus, an unusual beaked ceratosaurian which may have been either herbivorous or omnivorous.