Pisanosaurus

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Pisanosaurus

ZooTek Phoenix

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Author: Moondawg

Keywords: extinct animals, dinosaurs

Release Date: Jan 29 2009

Current PisanosaurusMD_2009.ztd dated 4 January 2009

File Size: 547.82k

Compatibility: DD, MM, and CC. Will not work in original ZT because of needed food type.

Description : Pisanosaurus mertii (the name comes from "Pisano", who was an associate of the finder, and "saurus" meaning lizard or reptile) is a primitive bipedal Ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic.
Pisanosaurus was 3.2 feet (1 meter) in length and 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) in height. Its weight estimate is just under 8.8 pounds (four kilograms). These estimates vary due to the incompleteness of the fossil.

Pisanosaurus is known from a fragmented skeleton found in Argentina. It is very basal within Ornithischia; the postcrania seem to lack any good ornithischian synapomorphy; it has even been suggested the fossil is a chimera.

Pisanosaurus (meaning "Pisano lizard") is a genus of primitive ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic of what is now South America. It was a bipedal herbivore described by Argentine paleontologist Rodolfo Casamiquela in 1967. Only one species, the type, Pisanosaurus mertii, is known, based on one partially complete skeleton. The fossils were discovered in Argentina's Late Triassic Ischigualasto Formation, from around 228 to 216.5 million years ago.

The exact classification of Pisanosaurus has been the topic of debate by scientists for over 40 years; the current consensus is that Pisanosaurus is the oldest known ornithischian, part of a diverse group of dinosaurs which lived during nearly the entire span of the Mesozoic Era.

Based on the known fossil elements, Pisanosaurus was a small, lightly-built dinosaur approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length and 30 cm (12 in) in height. Its weight was between 2.27-9.1 kg (5-20 lb). These estimates vary due to the incompleteness of the fossil. The tail of Pisanosaurus has been reconstructed as being as long as the rest of the body, based on other early ornithischians, but as a tail has not been recovered, this is speculative. It was bipedal and, like all ornithischians, was probably exclusively herbivorous.

Pisanosaurus mertii was described by Argentine paleontologist Rodolfo Casamiquela in 1967. The name Pisanosaurus honors Juan A. Pisano, an Argentine paleontologist, while saurus is derived from the Greek sa????, meaning "lizard". Pisanosaurus is known from a single fragmented skeleton found in Argentina. It is based on a specimen given the designation PVL 2577, which was discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation.

The fossils of Pisanosaurus were discovered in Argentina's Ischigualasto Formation. Originally dated to the Middle Triassic, this formation is now believed to belong to the Late Triassic Carnian stage, around 228 to 216.5 million years ago. Pisanosaurus shared its habitat with rhynchosaurs, cynodonts, dicynodonts, prestosuchids, ornithosuchids, aetosaurs, and primitive dinosaurs. The early carnivorous dinosaur Herrerasaurus lived in this area and at this time, and may have fed upon Pisanosaurus.

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Additional info:

PisanosaurusMD_2009.ztd                                  uca: 1C344985 dated 4 January 2009

Results From Configuration Checking:

1c344985.uca date: Sun Jan 04 16:54:44 2009
No Errors or Warnings to show.
Animal Type: 1C344985

Pisanosaurus

Pisanosaurus was 3.2 feet (1 meter) in length and 12 inches (30.48
centimeters) in height. Its weight estimate is just under 8.8 pounds (four
kilograms). These estimates vary due to the incompleteness of the fossil.
    (plus 5 other paragraphs)

Animal Characteristics:

Habitat: Coniferous Forest; Location: South America; Era: Triassic
Minimum happiness needed for chance of breeding: 95.
Preferred shelter: Rock Cave.
Animal can jump.
Animal can climb cliffs.
Cannot be used in original Zoo Tycoon: cKeeperFoodType (8) is not 0 to 5.

Exhibit Preferences:

Foliage:
Lodgepole Pine Tree, Fir Tree, Pine Tree, Spruce Tree, Yellow Cedar Tree
Western Red Cedar Tree, Club Moss Shrub (DD), Walchian Conifer Tree (DD)
Dawn Redwood Tree (DD), Lepidodendron Tree (DD)
Norfolk Island Pine Tree (DD), Sigillaria Tree (DD)

Rocks:
Large Rock, Large Rock - 1, Large Rock - 2, Large Rock - 3, Large Rock - 4
Small Rock - Medium, Small Rock - Small, Small Rock - 7, Small Rock - 8
Small Rock - 9, Coniferous Forest Rock - Formation
Medium Coniferous Rock (DD)

Exhibit Construction:

Number of animals allowed per exhibit: 3-6 with 20 squares for each adult.

Exhibit size (for 3 adults): 60 grid squares

Terrain (for exhibit with 60 grid squares):
42 Coniferous Floor, 5 Dirt, 6 Grass, 7 Fresh Water

Foliage (for exhibit with 60 grid squares):
4 grid squares should contain foliage.
Foliage that would give the most happiness: Norfolk Island Pine Tree (DD)
Since this is a small plant, greatest happiness will occur
if each of the 4 grid squares contains 4 of this plant.

Rocks (for exhibit with 60 grid squares):
5 Small Rock - Small, which is its most liked rock.

Elevation: Of the 60 squares, 2 nonadjacent squares should be elevated.