Herrerasaurus
heh-RARE-uh-SAWR-us
Herrerasaurus is a small theropod, measuring around 4.5m in length and 200kg in weight. It is one of the earliest known dinosaurs, dating back to the Late Triassic period. With a light frame that allow it to run very quickly and large, jagged teeth that help it to latch onto prey, Herrerasaurus feeds on smaller herbivores.
Discovery
This genus gets its name from the man who discovered it, an Argentine goatherd named Victorino Herrera. He found the first Herrerasaurus bones in San Juan in 1959, although it was not officially classified as a new genus until 1988, when a complete skull was unearthed.
Palaeoecology
Herrerasaurus lived in Argentina around 228m years ago. As one of the earliest dinosaurs it shared its environment mostly with reptiles like Saurosuchus and Venaticosuchus, although another early dinosaur, Eoraptor, existed during the same period. Research suggests that Herrerasaurus preferred a warm, wet climate, and mainly lived in forests and on floodplains.
Information
- Era
- Late Triassic
- Family
- Herrerasauridae
- Genus
- Herrerasaurus
- Height
- 1.1M
- Length
- 4.5M
- Weight
- 200Kg
- Diet
- Carnivore, Live Prey
- Egg batch size
- 3 - 4
