Reviews
This Specimen is on hold.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER SIMILAR FOSSILS FOR SALE
10.9" Triassic Fossil Poposauroid (Shuvosaurus) Femur - Texas
This is a femur bone from the right leg of the poposauroid pseudosuchian, Shuvosaurus inexpectatus. The specimen was collected from the Bull Canyon Formation in Quay County, New Mexico, making it approximately 220 million years old. It measures 10.9" long and comes with an acrylic display stand to assist with presentation.
There are several repaired cracks through the bone, many of which required gap fill restoration. This restoration makes up approximately 10% of the specimen.
There are several repaired cracks through the bone, many of which required gap fill restoration. This restoration makes up approximately 10% of the specimen.
About Shuvosaurus
Shuvosaurus is an unusual, lightly built reptile that lived during the Late Triassic period, around 220 million years ago, in what is now the southwestern United States. Despite its dinosaur-like appearance, Shuvosaurus is not actually a dinosaur but a member of a group called archosaurs, the broader lineage that includes dinosaurs, crocodilians, and birds. What makes it especially intriguing is its birdlike skull: it had a beak instead of teeth, which is quite rare among its relatives. This feature initially confused paleontologists, leading to debates about whether it might have been more closely related to early theropod dinosaurs.
Physically, Shuvosaurus was likely a fast, bipedal animal, walking on two long hind legs with a relatively lightweight body. Its toothless beak suggests it may have had a specialized diet, possibly feeding on plants, small animals, or a mix of both. Over time, further fossil discoveries clarified that Shuvosaurus belonged to a group called shuvosaurids within the larger clade of pseudosuchians—more closely related to crocodile ancestors than to dinosaurs. Its combination of dinosaur-like posture and birdlike features highlights the remarkable diversity and experimentation in body plans during the Triassic, a time when many different reptile lineages were evolving and competing long before dinosaurs came to dominate.
Shuvosaurus is an unusual, lightly built reptile that lived during the Late Triassic period, around 220 million years ago, in what is now the southwestern United States. Despite its dinosaur-like appearance, Shuvosaurus is not actually a dinosaur but a member of a group called archosaurs, the broader lineage that includes dinosaurs, crocodilians, and birds. What makes it especially intriguing is its birdlike skull: it had a beak instead of teeth, which is quite rare among its relatives. This feature initially confused paleontologists, leading to debates about whether it might have been more closely related to early theropod dinosaurs.
Physically, Shuvosaurus was likely a fast, bipedal animal, walking on two long hind legs with a relatively lightweight body. Its toothless beak suggests it may have had a specialized diet, possibly feeding on plants, small animals, or a mix of both. Over time, further fossil discoveries clarified that Shuvosaurus belonged to a group called shuvosaurids within the larger clade of pseudosuchians—more closely related to crocodile ancestors than to dinosaurs. Its combination of dinosaur-like posture and birdlike features highlights the remarkable diversity and experimentation in body plans during the Triassic, a time when many different reptile lineages were evolving and competing long before dinosaurs came to dominate.
$1,395 $1,250
SPECIES
Shuvosaurus inexpectatus
LOCATION
Quay County, New Mexico
FORMATION
Bull Canyon Formation
SIZE
10.9" long
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#357681
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our specimens.
