Thescelosaurus neglectus ran upright on two legs, using its long tail for balance. It fed on low-lying vegetation.
This "beautiful but neglected lizard" was not recognized as unique until decades after the first fossils were collected.
Thescelosaurus neglectus
was an upright runner that moved on two legs and used its long tail for
balance. It remained relatively close to the ground and browsed
low-lying vegetation.
Thescelosaurus has been at the
heart of a prehistoric controversy because some have suggested the
animal represents an evolutionary link between crocodilians and birds. A
specimen nicknamed "Willo" may be the first dinosaur ever found with a
fossilized heart. Some scientists further suggest that the organ is a
four-chambered heart more like those of mammals or birds than those of
reptiles.
