Pronunciation: peh-rak-sih-nee-sor-us
Meaning: Strange lizard
Author/s: Serrano-Brañas et al. (2020)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Coahuila, Mexico
Discovery Chart Position: #1020
Paraxenisaurus normalensis
(Strange Lizard from the Normal School)Etymology
Paraxenisaurus is derived from the Greek "Paráxeni" (strange) and "sauros" (lizard), a nod to its unusual anatomical features compared with other “ostrich mimics” (ornithomimosaurs).
The species epithet, normalensis, means "from Normal" in Latin, referencing the Benemérita Normal School of Coahuila (BENC)—part of Mexico’s network of Normal schools and the leading teacher?training institution in Coahuila—where the fossils are housed. Strange and Normal in the same name. Go figure.
Discovery
The remains of Paraxenisaurus were discovered at three sites in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Difunta Group) of Coahuila, Mexico, during the 1990s.
The holotype (BENC 2/2-001)—consisting of a finger bone, a partial ankle and heel, and parts of both feet—was found at the "Benc 2/2" site, 1 km southeast of Presa San Antonio town in the Municipality of Parras de la Fuente.
Referred material:
Five hand bones (BENC 1/2-0054), three partial hand bones, a partial thigh, one foot bone and several tail vertebrae (BENC 1/2-0091), and several more tail vertebrae (BENC 1/2-0092) were found at the "BENC 1/2" site, 10 km northwest of Rincón Colorado Town in the Municipality of General Cepeda.
Two foot bones (BENC 30/2-001) were found at the "BENC 30/2" site, 2.5 km southeast of Jalpa town in the Municipality of Parras de la Fuente.
