Pawpawsaurus, meaning "Pawpaw Lizard", is a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Cretaceous (late Albian) of Tarrant County, Texas, discovered in May 1992. The only species yet assigned to this taxon, Pawpawsaurus campbelli, is based on a complete skull (lacking mandibles) from the marine Paw Paw Formation (Wachita Group).[1] The Paw Paw Formation has produced another nodosaurid,Texasetes pleurohalio (Coombs, 1995), which may prove to be a senior synonym of Pawpawsaurus. This is the only nodosaurid known to have possessed the bony eyelids commonly found in ankylosaurids. The skull of Pawpawsaurus bears some notable similarities to that ofSilvisaurus, such as the presence of teeth in the premaxilla and the restriction of the osseous secondary palate to the rostral portion of the palatal region. Based on the dimensions of the skull, Pawpawsaurus is believed to have been approximately 4.5 meters in length. Vickaryous et al. (2004) have stated that "Sauropelta edwardsorum, Silvisaurus condrayi, and Pawpawsaurus campbelli form a basal polytomy nested deep to Cedarpelta."
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_08.jpg "Tag Team (Terry-Pawpawsaurus) 08.jpg (90 KB)")
