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Eocursor

Say it: EE-oh-KUR-sor

Name means: “dawn runner, from Greek 'eos' (dawn) and Latin 'cursor' (runner), plus 'parvus' (little)”1

Ate: PlantsBeaked plant-eatersEarly Jurassic

Eocursor was a tiny, fast-running dinosaur that lived at the dawn of the dinosaur age. It was one of the earliest plant-eaters, using its beak and small teeth to nibble on ferns and other plants.1 2

Lived

201 to 193 million years ago4

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Damplaats Farm, Ladybrand District, Free State, South Africa1

Food

Plants2 1

Length

1 m1

estimate for a subadult individual

Height

0.3 m1

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 2 house cats nose to tailas long as 6 bananas end to end

How big was Eocursor compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Eocursor is one of the most complete early ornithischian dinosaurs ever found, with about 25% of its skeleton preserved.1

It lived during the Late Triassic period, around 201 to 193 million years ago, making it one of the first plant-eating dinosaurs.2 1

Eocursor had a special pelvis called an opisthopubic pelvis, which is a key feature of ornithischian dinosaurs.1

Its hands were large and grasping, which scientists think was a common trait among early ornithischians.1

The only known Eocursor fossil is a subadult, meaning it was not fully grown when it died.1

Eocursor's teeth had about six large bumps (denticles) on each side, perfect for shredding plants.1

AI-made picture of Eocursor — An AI-made picture of how Eocursor 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 Eocursor

?How big was Eocursor?

About 1 metre (3 feet) long and about 30 centimetres (1 foot) tall at the hips, about the size of a cat.3 1

?What did Eocursor eat?

It was a plant eater, using its beak and triangular teeth with six large bumps per side to shred ferns and other plants. Its tooth shape suggests it was an herbivore.3 1

?Is Eocursor a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is an early ornithischian, or “bird‑hipped”, dinosaur, a group that later included Stegosaurus and Triceratops.3

?When did Eocursor live?

It lived around 201 to 191 million years ago, at the very end of the Triassic and into the Early Jurassic period. Scientists are not sure if it is only Triassic or also Early Jurassic.3 1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Eocursor
Named by: Butler et al. 20074
Group: Beaked plant-eaters
Family / clade: Saphornithischia4
Classification: Ornithischia4
Age of the rocks: 201 to 193 million years (Hettangian / Sinemurian)4
Rock formations: Elliot4
Countries: South Africa4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Eocursor was named by paleontologist Richard J. Butler and colleagues in 2007, based on a partial skeleton found on Damplaats Farm in South Africa.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Eocursor had a predentary bone (a beak tip) because the front of its jaw is poorly preserved.1

Where the facts come from

A primitive ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic of South Africa, and the early evolution and diversification of Ornithischia - PMC (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Eocursor (en.wikipedia.org)
Eocursor 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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