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Buriolestes

Name means: “Buriol robber”1

Ate: MeatLong-necksLate Triassic

Buriolestes was a small, fast dinosaur that lived in Brazil about 233 million years ago. It looked a bit like a meat-eater, but it was actually an early cousin of the giant long-necked sauropods!1

Lived

237 to 227 million years ago4

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil1 2

Food

Meat2 1

Length

1.5 to 2 m1

estimated

Weight

10 kg to 15 kg1

Height

0.5 to 0.7 m1

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 4 house cats

as long as 4 house cats nose to tailas long as 11 bananas end to endas heavy as 120 bananas

How big was Buriolestes compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Buriolestes is one of the oldest known dinosaurs, living about 233 million years ago during the Late Triassic.1 3

Even though Buriolestes was a meat-eater, it belonged to the sauropodomorph group, which later gave rise to giant plant-eaters like Diplodocus.1 2

Its fossils were found right next to a lagerpetid called Ixalerpeton, showing that early dinosaurs lived alongside their dinosaur-like cousins.1 2

Buriolestes had a downturned jaw tip and a long crest on its upper arm bone, traits that later sauropodomorphs also had.1

The name Buriolestes means 'Buriol robber', after the Buriol family who owned the land where it was found.1

Its teeth were curved and serrated like steak knives, perfect for slicing meat.1 2

AI-made picture of Buriolestes — An AI-made picture of how Buriolestes might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Buriolestes

?What did Buriolestes eat?

Buriolestes was a carnivore, likely preying on small vertebrates and soft invertebrates. Its curved, serrated teeth were well-suited for slicing meat.1 2

?How big was Buriolestes?

Buriolestes was small, with one robust individual weighing over 7 kg (15.4 lb) and others weighing between 6.4 and 7.2 kg (14 to 16 lb). Its femur was about 135 mm long.2

?When did Buriolestes live?

Buriolestes lived about 233 million years ago during the Late Triassic, in the Carnian epoch. It is one of the oldest known dinosaurs.1

?Was Buriolestes a dinosaur?

Yes, Buriolestes was a dinosaur, specifically an early sauropodomorph. It was a meat-eater but belonged to the group that later gave rise to giant plant-eaters like Diplodocus.1

?Where was Buriolestes found?

Buriolestes was found in the Buriol ravine in São João do Polêsine, Brazil, in the Santa Maria Formation. The holotype was discovered in 2009.1

?Why is Buriolestes important?

Buriolestes is important because it is one of the oldest and most complete Triassic dinosaurs known. It shows that early sauropodomorphs were carnivorous, and its brain shape suggests it was a sight-based predator.1 2

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Myth buster

Myth: Many people think all early dinosaurs were meat-eaters.

Truth: Buriolestes shows that the first dinosaurs were meat-eaters, but some groups, like sauropodomorphs, later switched to eating plants.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Buriolestes
Named by: Cabreira et al. 20164
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Sauropodomorpha4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha4
Age of the rocks: 237 to 227 million years (Carnian)4
Rock formations: Santa Maria4
Countries: Brazil4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Buriolestes was discovered in 2009 in a ravine in Brazil and named in 2016 by paleontologist Cabreira and his team. The species name honors paleontologist Cesar Schultz.1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating whether the smaller bones found with the main Buriolestes skeleton belong to a juvenile or a different dinosaur.1

Where the facts come from

Buriolestes (en.wikipedia.org)
A Unique Late Triassic Dinosauromorph Assemblage Reveals Dinosaur Ancestral Anatomy and Diet: Current Biology (cell.com)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Buriolestes in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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