Dinosaur Footprints Tour

Depart from Maseru airport or Hotel at 08H00 and travel through the picturesque area of Lesotho.

Lesothosaurus is a genus of omnivorous ornithischian dinosaurs that lived during the Early Jurassic in what is now South Africa and Lesotho. It was named by paleontologist Peter Galton in 1978, the name meaning "lizard from Lesotho". The genus has only one valid species.

Lesotho has the distinction of having the world's earliest known mammalian skeletal material. Magazostrodon links the reptiles and the mammals, something which gives Lesotho worldwide fossil distinction. It also has the world's largest known sites of dinosaur footprints, which makes Lesotho rich in paleontological importance.

Many of the earliest known dinosaur fossil discoveries were made by the missionaries' explorations of the area. Lesothosaurus was discovered including a wealth of bones, trees, plants, and shells from pre-historic times. There are many dinosaur footprint locations and some can be found at Morija, Subeng Stream, and Tsikoane close to Leribe, Moyeni, Matsient, and Mohale's Hoek, and also at Botleng village.

Lesothosaurus was a 1-meter (3.3 ft) long, bipedal omnivore. It was one of the earliest ornithischians. Its long slender legs, small arms with hands that would not have been able to grasp properly, and slender tail all suggest that it was a fast runner. Like all ornithischians, the tips of Lesothosaurus's upper and lower jaws were horny, forming a beaklike structure. Behind the beak were leaf-shaped teeth that lined the jaws, and near the front of the upper jaws were 12 fang-like teeth.

Analysis of its teeth has shown that Lesothosaurus sliced up its food with its beak and was not able to chew its food. Studies of the tooth wear have shown much less abrasion on the teeth than would be expected of a plant-eater feeding mainly on tough, arid-climate plants, and concluded that Lesothosaurus was probably an opportunistic omnivore, feeding primarily on small animals during seasons when softer plants were not available.

The small skull of Lesothosaurus was short and flat, with large eye sockets. It had large cavities for the eye and jaw muscles. It had a short, pointed snout, and the lower jaw may have ended in a beak. Its teeth were pointed with grooved edges. The skull was mounted on a short but flexible neck.

Discoveries of Lesothosaurus in the Upper Elliot Formation suggest that this early ornithischian dinosaur may have lived in groups.

Return to the airport or Maseru Hotel +-16H00.

END OF TOUR!

Included:

Airport and Hotel Transfers
Driver / Guide
Entry Fees to Site
2x Bottled Waters
Lunch

Excluded:

Personal Insurances and Expenses
Alcoholic and Soft Drinks
Tips to Guides