Soumyasaurus

Soumyasaurus is known from only one small, poorly preserved left jawbone that is less than 3 cm long.1

Its name honors Soumya, the son of paleontologist Sankar Chatterjee, who also named Shuvosaurus after his other son.1

The species name 'aenigmaticus' means 'enigma' or 'riddle' in Latin, because the fossil is so hard to study.1

Soumyasaurus had teeth that were fused to its jaw bone by a rim of fibrous bone, a trait shared with other silesaurids.1

Unlike many other silesaurids, Soumyasaurus had smooth, conical teeth instead of leaf-shaped ones.1

The tip of its jaw is missing, so scientists do not know if it had a beak like other silesaurids.1

Soumyasaurus lived about 220 million years ago during the Late Triassic period.1