Pegomastax

Pegomastax was a miniature early ornithischian dinosaur that lived in southern Africa during the Early Jurassic period. Found in the Upper Elliot Formation of South Africa, the fossil sat in collections for decades before being described in 2012. Measuring around sixty centimetres in length and weighing little more than a cat, it had a high, robust skull ending in a short, turtle-like beak and armed with large, recurved canine-like teeth. Despite these fearsome fangs, its dentition was adapted for slicing plant matter; the prominent tusks were likely employed for self-defence against small predators or sparring during intraspecific displays. Due to its close relationship with feathered genera like Tianyulong, Pegomastax is often reconstructed with a coat of protective bristly quills, making it an agile, low-foraging ground dweller.

It possessed a parrot-like beak combined with self-sharpening caniniform tusks.

Where and when

Pegomastax lived in the Early Jurassic, from 201.3 to 190.8 million years ago (Hettangian-Sinemurian age). Its remains come from South Africa, in the Elliot Formation.

The numbers

Length 0.6 m (estimates run from 0.5 to 0.6 m). Mass about 1.1 kg. Hip height about 0.2 m. That is 0.4 human-lengths, or 0.05 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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