Asilisaurus
Asilisaurus was an early relative of dinosaurs that lived in Tanzania about 247 to 241 million years ago. It had a beak at the front of its mouth and walked on all four legs. Scientists think it ate plants and maybe small animals.12
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Fun facts
Asilisaurus is one of the oldest known bird-line archosaurs, meaning it is more closely related to dinosaurs and birds than to crocodiles.2
Its name comes from the Swahili word 'asili' meaning ancestor or foundation, and the Greek word 'sauros' meaning lizard.1
Fossils of at least 14 individuals were found together in a bonebed in Tanzania.1
Asilisaurus had a beak at the tip of its snout, similar to some plant-eating dinosaurs that came later.1
Scientists think Asilisaurus walked on all four legs because its front and back legs were similar in length.1
The teeth of Asilisaurus were peg-like and had tiny serrations, which helped it chew plants.1
Most asked questions about Asilisaurus
?How big was Asilisaurus?
Asilisaurus was a silesaurid, not a dinosaur. It was about 1 to 3 metres (3 to 10 ft) long and 0.5 to 1 metre (2 to 3 ft) tall at the hip. It weighed roughly 10 to 30 kilograms (20 to 70 lb).1
?Was Asilisaurus a dinosaur?
Asilisaurus was not a dinosaur, but a close relative. It belonged to a group called silesaurids, which are the sister group to dinosaurs.2
?What did Asilisaurus eat?
Asilisaurus probably ate plants or a mix of plants and small animals. Its beak and peg-like teeth suggest it was an omnivore or herbivore.13
?When did Asilisaurus live?
Asilisaurus lived about 247 to 241 million years ago, during the Middle Triassic period. It is one of the oldest known bird-line archosaurs.13
?Where was Asilisaurus found?
Asilisaurus fossils were found in Tanzania, in a rock formation called the Manda Beds. At least 14 individuals were discovered in a single bonebed.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Asilisaurus
- Named by
- Nesbitt et al. 20104
- Group
- Beaked plant-eaters
- Family / clade
- Silesauridae4
- Classification
- Ornithischia4
- Age of the rocks
- 247 to 241 million years ()4
- Rock formations
- Manda Beds4
- Countries
- Tanzania4
- Fossil records
- 4 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Asilisaurus was named in 2010 by a team of scientists including Sterling Nesbitt. The first fossils were found in 2007 near the town of Litumba Ndyosi in Tanzania.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether Asilisaurus lived during the Middle Triassic or the Late Triassic, because the age of the rocks where it was found is debated.1
Where the facts come from
- Asilisaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Ecologically distinct dinosaurian sister group shows early diversification of Ornithodira (cienciaescolar.wordpress.com)
- Dinosaurs and their closest relatives originated earlier than thought | UW News (washington.edu)
- Asilisaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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