Drepanosaurs (members of the clade Drepanosauromorpha) are a group of extinct reptiles that lived between the Carnian and Rhaetian stages of the late Triassic Period, approximately between 230 and 210 million years ago.[1] The various species of drepanosaurs were characterized by a bird-like skull, a barrell shaped body, and a horizontally narrow tail. A number of drepanosaurs had specialized grasping limbs and often prehensile tails similar to those of chameleons. Drepanosaurs are generally thought to have been arboreal (tree-dwelling),[2] and probably insectivores.[3] Some studies have alternately suggested fossorial (digging) and aquatic lifestyles for some members.[4] Fossils of drepanosaurs have been found in North America (Arizona, New Mexico, New Jersey, Utah) and Europe (England and northern Italy). The name is taken from the family's namesake genus Drepanosaurus, which means "sickle lizard," a reference to their strongly curved claws.
Some studies have included Drepanosaurs within the group Avicephala, which also includes the gliding Weigeltisauridae, but the close relationship between the two groups has been doubted by other authors. Their phylogenetic position has been disputed, with some studies considering them to be members of Archosauromorpha (and thus more closely related to modern birds and crocodilians than to lizards), while other studies have considered them to be basal neodiapsids that are not related to any modern reptiles.[2]
^Renesto, S.C.; Spielmann, J.A.; Lucas, S.G. (2009-05-29). "The oldest record of drepanosaurids (Reptilia, Diapsida) from the Late Triassic (Adamanian Placerias Quarry, Arizona, USA) and the stratigraphic range of the Drepanosauridae". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 252 (3): 315–325. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2009/0252-0315. ISSN 0077-7749.
^ abBuffa, Valentin; Frey, Eberhard; Steyer, J-Sébastien; Laurin, Michel (2024-05-11). "'Birds' of two feathers: Avicranium renestoi and the paraphyly of bird-headed reptiles (Diapsida: 'Avicephala')". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae050. ISSN 0024-4082.
^Castiello, Marco; Renesto, Silvio; Bennett, S. Christopher (2016-11-16). "The role of the forelimb in prey capture in the Late Triassic reptile Megalancosaurus (Diapsida, Drepanosauromorpha)". Historical Biology. 28 (8): 1090–1100. doi:10.1080/08912963.2015.1107552. ISSN 0891-2963.
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Drepanosaurs (members of the clade Drepanosauromorpha) are a group of extinct reptiles that lived between the Carnian and Rhaetian stages of the late Triassic...
paleobiology of the Late Triassic (Carnian-Norian: Adamanian-Apachean) drepanosaurs (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha: Drepanosauromorpha)". New Mexico Museum...
parareptiles, were an important group of small lizard-like herbivores. The drepanosaurs were a clade of unusual, chameleon-like arboreal reptiles with birdlike...
lizard-like Weigeltisauridae, as well as the Triassic chameleon-like drepanosaurs. The position of the highly derived Mesozoic marine reptile groups Thalattosauria...
First found in Northern Italy in 1975, it is one of the most primitive drepanosaurs. V. cenenis is the type species, which was first mentioned in 1991 but...
The forelimbs are in contrast much smaller. Hypuronector. This bizarre drepanosaur displays limb proportions, particularly the elongated forelimbs, that...
is defined as including the gliding weigeltisaurids and the arboreal drepanosaurs to the exclusion of other major diapsid groups. This relationship is...
Avicranium is a genus of extinct drepanosaur reptile known from the Chinle Formation of the late Triassic. The type species of Avicranium is Avicranium...
Hypuronector is a genus of extinct drepanosaur reptile from the Late Triassic Lockatong Formation of New Jersey. The etymology of the name translates...
their inclusion within either group. The chameleon- or tamandua-like drepanosaurs are also semi-regularly placed within Archosauromorpha, although some...
unknown; however, the skull of Drepanosaurus was likely similar to other drepanosaurs, such as Megalancosaurus. Megalancosaurus' skull was approximately the...
Skybalonyx is an extinct genus of drepanosaur from the Chinle Formation in the Late Triassic. The type and only known species is Skybalonyx skapter, meaning...
additionally qualify as archosauromorphs. The bizarre chameleon-like drepanosaurs were also included by many analyses, though more recently they have been...
(hand claws). A drepanosaur related to Drepanosaurus. Avicranium A. renestoi New Mexico 'Siltstone' Skull and neck vertebrae. A drepanosaur with a toothless...
Ancistronychus is an extinct genus of drepanosaur from the Late Triassic Petrified Forest National Park in the Chinle Formation of Arizona. The type and...
paleobiology of the Late Triassic (Carnian-Norian: Adamanian-Apachean) drepanosaurs (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha: Drepanosauromorpha)". New Mexico Museum...
has been controversially proposed that they are closely related to the drepanosaurs, a group of arboreal diapsids native to northern Pangaea during the Late...
Dolabrosaurus is a genus of extinct reptile and a member of the family Drepanosauridae. Fossils of Dolabrosaurus have been found in the Chinle Formation...
Curiously, Gregory Paul has noted that the cervicals of Protoavis and drepanosaurs are astonishingly similar, such they are hardly distinguishable from...
skeleton and scale impressions. Potentially the oldest known member of the drepanosaurs, a diverse clade of Triassic reptiles that evolved arboreal and fossorial...
Kyrgyzsaurus is an extinct genus of drepanosaurid reptile known from the Triassic of southwestern Kyrgyzstan. It was discovered in the Madygen Formation...
remaining protorosaurs – including Protorosaurus, tanystropheids, and drepanosaurs in some studies – did not necessarily form a monophyletic group. An increasing...
far the most commonly considered trackmaker for Gwyneddichnium, small drepanosaurs such as Hypuronector or Dolabrosaurus have also been proposed as trackmakers...
anterior projection. The ilium of Vancleavea resembles those of unrelated drepanosaurs. The unique morphology of Vancleavea differs greatly from any other known...
Quarry (Nursery Member), Edgewater Quarry Several partial skeletons A drepanosaur, originally known as "the deep-tailed swimmer". Icarosaurus I. siefkeri...
designed by Pritchard & Nesbitt (2017) to test the affinities of the beaked drepanosaur Avicranium. With Colobops incorporated into the analysis and several...
paleobiology of the Late Triassic (Carnian-Norian: Adamanian-Apachean) drepanosaurs (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha: Drepanosauromorpha)". New Mexico Museum...
an effort to obtain more conclusive results, Saller added the unusual drepanosaur Megalancosaurus to the analysis in the hopes that it would clarify relations...
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