Langobardisaurus

Langobardisaurus Temporal range: Late Triassic, 228–201 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil in Museo Caffi di Bergamo
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	†Protorosauria
Family:	†Tanystropheidae
Genus:	†Langobardisaurus Renesto, 1994
Type species
†L. pandolfii Renesto, 1994

Langobardisaurus ( /ˈleɪŋɡoʊbɑːrdɪˈsɔərəs/, meaning Reptile of Langobardi, in reference to the Long Bearded People, an ancient Italian civilization) is an extinct genus of protorosaurian reptile, with one known species L. pandolfii. Its fossils have been found in Italy and Austria, and it lived during the Late Triassic period, roughly 228 to 201 million years ago. The Langobardisaurus was first discovered by Italian paleontologist Silvio Renesto in 1994 from the Calcare di Zorzino Formation in Northern Italy.

The Langobardisaurus was a small prolacertiform reptile with a body size shorter than 50 cm. Despite its small size, the Langobardisaurus featured a long neck with elongate cervical vertebrae featuring low neural spines. Atop its long neck, the Langobardisaurus had a large yet short triangular skull that featured a small rostrum and large orbits. It’s large orbits are evidence of reliance on visual perception - this suggests that the Langobardisaurus likely had good eyesight. The Langobardisaurus skull morphology reflects its unique pattern of dentition. The upper jaw of the genus featured thin incisiform teeth on the premaxilla, larger tricuspid cheek teeth on the maxilla and a large molariform tooth with a distal occlusion. The lower jaw featured a similar molariform tooth which occluded with the aforementioned upper counterpart. Additionally, the lower jaw was robust and had a high coronoid process which suggests that the capability of a powerful bite. Given this and it’s distinct tooth pattern, these traits suggest that the Langobardisaurus performed excessive grinding of its food. However, none of the discovered specimens included the jaw articulation, so the conclusions that can be drawn are limited. A dentition pattern as described is certainly unique, and not found in any other prolacertiform. In an analysis of the Langobardisaurus jaw and teeth morphology, Renesto and Dalla Vecchia speculated that the Langobardisaurus survived on a diet of large insects, crustaceans, and small fish with tough scales. Additionally, it has been hypothesized that the Langobardisaurus used it’s long neck to pluck insects out of the air, in addition to burying its head deep into burrows to capture fleeing crustacean prey.