**Teinurosaurus: An Intriguing Dinosaur**
Teinurosaurus is a fascinating type of dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, which was about 150 million years ago. This dinosaur roamed in what we now call France.
**What Kind of Dinosaur Was Teinurosaurus?**
Teinurosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur, meaning it ate meat. It was a theropod, which is a group that includes many meat-eating dinosaurs like T. rex and Velociraptor. Estimates suggest that Teinurosaurus was quite large, reaching lengths of about 37.4 feet (11.4 meters) and weighing around 3.6 tonnes, which is similar to an adult elephant.
**How Was Teinurosaurus Discovered?**
The first bones of Teinurosaurus were found in 1897. A paleontologist named Henri-Émile Sauvage found a tail vertebra (a bone from the tail) and initially thought it belonged to a plant-eating dinosaur called Iguanodon.
However, in 1928, another paleontologist named Baron Franz Nopcsa recognized that this bone actually belonged to a meat-eating dinosaur instead. He proposed the name Teinurosaurus. A little confusion arose because of a printing error, but Nopcsa later corrected it.
In 1932, a different scientist named Friedrich von Huene renamed the dinosaur giving it a new name, Caudocoelus sauvagei. He meant the name to highlight the dinosaur’s unique tail structure.
Over the years, scientists began to realize that Teinurosaurus and Caudocoelus were the same, leading to some back and forth in naming. In 1978, it was officially recognized that the correct name was Teinurosaurus sauvagei.
**Where Does It Fit in the Dinosaur Family?**
Initially, Teinurosaurus was thought to be part of a group called Coeluridae. However, over the years, it has been classified as a type of dinosaur that is still a bit of a mystery in the family tree. Scientists aren’t completely sure where it fits, so it is sometimes referred to as a nomen dubium, which means its classification is uncertain.
**Important Discoveries**
Only a few bones have been found, specifically a tail vertebra that is about 6 inches (152 millimeters) long. Some researchers believed this original bone was lost during World War II, but it turns out it still exists today.
Teinurosaurus gives us a glimpse into the world of dinosaurs from millions of years ago, helping us understand more about the types of creatures that existed during the Jurassic period.