Pronunciation: PANT-uh-DRAY-co
Meaning: Pant-y-ffynnon dragon
Author/s: Galton et al. (2007)
Synonyms: Thecodontosaurus caducus
First Discovery: Pant-y-Ffynon, Wales
Discovery Chart Position: #627
Pantydraco caducus
After their discovery in South Wales by Kenneth Kermack and Pamela Robinson way back in 1952, the remains that we now know as Pantydraco were all but ignored until 1983 when Warrener tagged them as the property of a juvenile Thecodontosaurus antiquus in his PhD thesis. An official, albeit rather brief, description arrived in 1984 via Diane Kermack, who assigned the fossils to Thecodontosaurus sp. Then, they were officially named Thecodontosaurus caducus after closer scrutiny by Adam Yates in 2003. But they weren't scrutinised closely enough.
Although discovered only a stone's throw away from the original Thecodontosaurus specimens, most of the bones referred to as Thecodontosaurus caducus bear no resemblance to the corresponding bones of Thecodontosaurus. Strikingly primitive features of its neck, upper arm and hip forced Yates and colleagues into a flip-flop, and after much pondering, they used these remains to anchor an all-new genus — Pantydraco — in 2007. Go on, have a little giggle. You know you want to.
Although discovered only a stone's throw away from the original Thecodontosaurus specimens, most of the bones referred to as Thecodontosaurus caducus bear no resemblance to the corresponding bones of Thecodontosaurus. Strikingly primitive features of its neck, upper arm and hip forced Yates and colleagues into a flip-flop, and after much pondering, they used these remains to anchor an all-new genus — Pantydraco — in 2007. Go on, have a little giggle. You know you want to.
(Fallen Panty-y-ffynnon Dragon)Etymology
Pantydraco takes its name from the "panty" of Panty-y-ffynnon quarry (see below) and "draco" (a dragon or mythical dragon-like creature in Latin). To pronounce the "Y" of Pantydraco in proper Welsh you need to be sounding like a caveman. "Uh" is the correct vernacular, we believe.The species epithet, caducus, means "fallen" in Latin, referring to the assumption that it fell into a fissure fill (quarry) and died there.
Discovery
The first fossils of Pantydraco were discovered at the old Pant-y-ffnynnon (Valley of the Spring) Quarry, Bonvilston (3 miles east of Cowbridge), South Glamorgan, South Wales, by Kermack and Robinson in 1952.
The holotype (BMNH P 24) consists of a nearly complete but disjointed skull, a complete set of neck verts, parts of both shoulder girdles and upper arms, and the end of a tail. Barring what may be a bit of right hip (ischium), it's basically a mystery from the armpits down. Fortunately, several partial skeletons and isolated bones have been referred to Pantydraco since, but it's still missing vetebrae from the back, hip and base of the tail, and most of the forearms and hands.
