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Arizonasaurus is a genus of extinct reptiles that lived during the Middle Triassic period, around 240 million years ago. It is known from fossils found in the Moenkopi Formation of Arizona, United States, which is how it got its name. Arizonasaurus was a member of the Archosauriformes, a group that includes dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and modern birds and crocodilians.

Arizonasaurus was notable for its distinctive features: it was a predator with a long neck and tail, and it measured about 3 meters (almost 10 feet) in length. One of its most intriguing characteristics was the presence of a sail on its back, formed by elongated neural spines. This sail-like structure is somewhat similar to that found in the later dinosaur Spinosaurus or the earlier Dimetrodon, which was a synapsid, not a dinosaur.

The function of this sail is still debated among paleontologists. It may have been used for thermoregulation, sexual display, or as a means to intimidate rivals or predators. The discovery of Arizonasaurus helps provide more information on the early diversification of archosauriforms and the evolutionary paths that led to the dominance of dinosaurs in the later Mesozoic era.

Description
Prints: daniel-eskridge.pixels.com/fea…
Licensing: licensing.pixels.com/featured/…

Arizonasaurus is a genus of extinct reptiles that lived during the Middle Triassic period, around 240 million years ago. It is known from fossils found in the Moenkopi Formation of Arizona, United States, which is how it got its name. Arizonasaurus was a member of the Archosauriformes, a group that includes dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and modern birds and crocodilians.

Arizonasaurus was notable for its distinctive features: it was a predator with a long neck and tail, and it measured about 3 meters (almost 10 feet) in length. One of its most intriguing characteristics was the presence of a sail on its back, formed by elongated neural spines. This sail-like structure is somewhat similar to that found in the later dinosaur Spinosaurus or the earlier Dimetrodon, which was a synapsid, not a dinosaur.

The function of this sail is still debated among paleontologists. It may have been used for thermoregulation, sexual display, or as a means to intimidate rivals or predators. The discovery of Arizonasaurus helps provide more information on the early diversification of archosauriforms and the evolutionary paths that led to the dominance of dinosaurs in the later Mesozoic era.