Nqwebasaurus
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| iNqwebasaurus
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| Nqwebasaurus thwazi de Klerk et al., 2000 |
Nqwebasaurus is the name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Tithonian to Valanginian (Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous). It was a coelurosaur related to Ornitholestes. Its fossils were found in South Africa in the Kirkwood Formation.
The type species, Nqwebasaurus thwazi, was described by de Klerk, Forster, Sampson, Chinsamy and Ross in 2000. According to the authors, the new genus is one of the "most complete and best preserved Cretaceous theropods described thus far from Africa." The well-preserved specimen had a long, three-fingered hand which included a partially opposable thumb. The fossil also contained gastroliths in its stomach.
