Pronunciation: TEK-no-SOR-us
Meaning: Tech Lizard
Author/s: Chatterjee (1984)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Texas, USA
Discovery Chart Position: #
Technosaurus smalli
With the naming of Technosaurus in 1984, we allowed ourselves a little nostalgia trip. We polished our glow sticks, washed our white gloves, and tuned up our whistles, only to discover the "Techno" of Technosaurus is derived from "Tekhne" — a Greek word meaning "skill" — alluding to Texas Tech, the university that sponsored the dig that found its remains. We've never been so disappointed.
Originally thought to be a primitive ornithischian, the classification of Technosaurus has proven troublesome. After a 1991 review of its remains by Paul Sereno, the premaxilla (tip of the upper jaw) from the holotype was identified as the property of a hatchling prosauropod, the lower jaw eventually found its way to Shuvosaurus (then came back again), and its ankle and a single vertebra were discarded as non-diagnostic.
With the lion's share of the initial so-called chimaera gone, and in light of new Triassic discoveries, most experts believe that the "saur" of Technosaurus most probably belongs to a silesaur: one of the dinosaur's very closest relatives but not dinosaurs per se, while others think the remains of the remains, whilst diagnostic, cannot be assigned to anything more specific than Archosauriformes.
Texas tech's late push to have its "dinosaur" elected as the official dinosaur of Texas state fell at the first hurdle by not actually being a dinosaur, and to make matters worse, some palaeontologists would happily throw what's left of Technosaurus in the bin. Sankar Chatterjee fought its corner like a madman, mostly because he named it, but Technosaurus does appear to be a silesaur, afterall.
Originally thought to be a primitive ornithischian, the classification of Technosaurus has proven troublesome. After a 1991 review of its remains by Paul Sereno, the premaxilla (tip of the upper jaw) from the holotype was identified as the property of a hatchling prosauropod, the lower jaw eventually found its way to Shuvosaurus (then came back again), and its ankle and a single vertebra were discarded as non-diagnostic.
With the lion's share of the initial so-called chimaera gone, and in light of new Triassic discoveries, most experts believe that the "saur" of Technosaurus most probably belongs to a silesaur: one of the dinosaur's very closest relatives but not dinosaurs per se, while others think the remains of the remains, whilst diagnostic, cannot be assigned to anything more specific than Archosauriformes.
Texas tech's late push to have its "dinosaur" elected as the official dinosaur of Texas state fell at the first hurdle by not actually being a dinosaur, and to make matters worse, some palaeontologists would happily throw what's left of Technosaurus in the bin. Sankar Chatterjee fought its corner like a madman, mostly because he named it, but Technosaurus does appear to be a silesaur, afterall.
Etymology
Technosaurus is a derived from the Greek "tekhne" (craft or skill, alluding to the University who sponsored the dig that found its remains) and "sauros" (lizard).The species epithet, smalli, refers to "the generous help afforded by Bryan J. Small in the field and laboratory".
Discovery
The remains of Technosaurus were discovered in the Cooper Canyon Formation (initially the Bull Canyon Formation) of the Dockum Group, Texas, U.S.A. The holotype (TTUP P9021) initially consisted of two tooth-bearing bits from the lower jaw, a tip from the upper jaw, a vertebra, and a talus: that's an ankle bone (aka "astragalus") and not a potentially life-changing genus of perennial shrub with the same name, particularly popular with chinese herbalists who are convinced that this "super herb" can cure everything from stress to cancer.
