Effigia

Effigia is an extinct genus of bipedal, herbivorous archosaur from the Late Triassic of New Mexico, known from the species Effigia okeeffeae.

Archosaur: A member of the reptile group that includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs, including birds. Effigia belongs to this broad group, though it is not a dinosaur.
Ghost Ranch: A fossil-rich site in northern New Mexico, known especially for Late Triassic vertebrates. Effigia’s fossil was recovered from this site.
Sterling Nesbitt: An American paleontologist whose research has clarified the evolution and diversity of early archosaurs. Nesbitt recognized the stored fossil as a distinct animal and described it.
Dinosaur: A member of the archosaur group Dinosauria, including birds and their extinct non-avian relatives. Effigia looked dinosaur-like but was not a dinosaur.
Suchia: A major archosaur lineage that includes crocodilians and many extinct crocodile-line relatives. Effigia is a member of this crocodile-line archosaur group.
Chinle Formation: A Late Triassic geological formation in the southwestern United States rich in vertebrate fossils. The rocks preserving Effigia belong to this formation.
American Museum of Natural History: A natural history museum in New York City with major paleontological collections. Effigia’s fossil remained in this museum’s collections before its identification.
Theropoda: A dinosaur group that includes birds and mostly bipedal, ancestrally meat-eating forms. Effigia’s bipedal posture resembles theropods, but its ancestry and diet differ.
Poposauroidea: A diverse group of Triassic suchian archosaurs that included bipedal and herbivorous forms. Effigia’s closest known relatives belong to this group.
Coelophysis: A small, slender-bodied theropod dinosaur known from Late Triassic fossils at Ghost Ranch. Its abundant remains at the site first obscured Effigia’s distinct identity.

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