Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis - Triassic Dinosaurs
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(Herrera's lizard)
"hay-rare-uh-sor-uhss"
Describer Reig, 1963
Also Known As Ischisaurus Reig, 1963; Frenguellisaurus
Novas, 1986
Type of Species ischigualastensis
Order Saurischia
SubOrder Theropoda
InfraOrder --
Micro-Order --
Family Herrerasauridae
Size 16.5 feet (5 meters) long
Period Late Triassic, 225 million years ago
Fossilsite Argentina
Diet Carnivore
Herrerasaurus was a bipedal carnivore that lived during the Late Triassic Period, about 225 million years ago. This dinosaur was named after Victorino Herrera, a goat farmer. The skeleton was found in the Ischigualasto Basin in north-western Argentina, in 1963. Herrerasaurus is one of the oldest known dinosaurs. Herrerasaurus weighed 400 pounds.
Herrerasaurus was a very primitive theropod. Its bones were thin and hollow. It had serrated teeth, and both its jaws had a joint that allowed the mouth to open widely while Herrerasaurus was eating. It had long, sickle-shaped claws and an opposable thumb, which made its hand a formidable weapon for hunting and grabbing its prey.
Image courtesy of Gerhard Boeggemann
