Wikipedia:Today's featured article/June 13, 2023

Skeletal diagram of D. scytobrachion showing known fossil material
Skeletal diagram of D. scytobrachion showing known fossil material

Diodorus scyto­brachion was a sile­saurid dinosauro­morph that lived during the Late Triassic of what is now Morocco. The dinosauro­morph is the only known member of genus Diodorus. Fossils dating to about 230 million years ago were discovered in the Timezgadiouine Formation of the Argana Basin, and were used to name the new genus and species. The genus name honors the mythological king Diodorus and the historian Diodorus Siculus; the specific name is ancient Greek for 'leathery arm' and also honors the mythographer Dionysius Scytobrachion. The holotype specimen is a partial dentary bone (front of the lower jaw), and assigned specimens include isolated teeth, two humeri, a metatarsal, and a femur (diagram shown). Diodorus is estimated to have been around 2.3 m (7.5 ft) long, with features thought to be shared by most silesaurs, including leaf-shaped teeth, long limbs, and a quadrupedal posture. It is believed to have been principally though not entirely herbivorous. (Full article...)

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