Eoraptor
Eoraptor was one of the very first dinosaurs, a small, speedy hunter that lived about 231 to 228 million years ago. It had sharp teeth and grasping hands, and it could run fast to catch small animals.1
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Fun facts
Eoraptor had 4 teeth in the upper front of its mouth and 18 in the upper cheek, a mix that helped it eat different foods.1
Unlike later meat-eaters, Eoraptor could not bend its lower jaw to hold big prey, so it probably ate small animals and plants.1
Its name means 'dawn plunderer' because it lived at the dawn of the dinosaur age and had grasping hands.1
Eoraptor lived in a warm, humid place with ferns and giant conifers, alongside other early reptiles and dinosaurs.1
The first Eoraptor fossil was found in 1991, and it took almost a year to carefully dig out of the rock.1
Scientists think Eoraptor was a fast runner, using its long legs to sprint after prey.1
Most asked questions about Eoraptor
?How big was Eoraptor?
Eoraptor was about 1.2 to 1.3 metres (3.9 to 4.3 feet) long and weighed around 10 kilograms (22 pounds) or less.1
?What did Eoraptor eat?
Eoraptor was an omnivore, eating both small animals and plants. It had sharp, serrated teeth for meat and leaf-shaped teeth for plants.1
?When did Eoraptor live?
Eoraptor lived about 231 to 228 million years ago, during the Late Triassic period.1
?Where was Eoraptor found?
Eoraptor fossils were found in the Ischigualasto Formation in northwestern Argentina, in a place called Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon).1
?Was Eoraptor a dinosaur?
Yes, Eoraptor was a dinosaur. It is one of the earliest-known dinosaurs and a basal sauropodomorph.1
?How fast could Eoraptor run?
Eoraptor was a fast runner. Its leg bones suggest it could sprint quickly on its two legs.1
?Did Eoraptor have feathers?
Scientists do not know for sure. No feathers have been found on Eoraptor fossils, but some early dinosaurs may have had simple feathers.1
?What does Eoraptor mean?
Eoraptor means 'dawn plunderer' in Greek and Latin, because it lived at the dawn of the dinosaur age and had grasping hands.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Eoraptor is often called a theropod, a group that includes T. rex.
Truth: Scientists now think Eoraptor was actually an early sauropodomorph, more closely related to long-necked giants like Brachiosaurus.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Eoraptor
- Named by
- Sereno et al. 19933
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Sauropodomorpha3
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha3
- Age of the rocks
- 234 to 227 million years (Carnian)3
- Rock formations
- Ischigualasto3
- Countries
- Argentina3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Eoraptor was discovered in 1991 by Ricardo Martínez and Paul Sereno in Argentina. It was named in 1993 by Sereno and colleagues.1
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether Eoraptor was a meat-eater, a plant-eater, or both, because its teeth are a mix of shapes.1
Where the facts come from
- Eoraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
- A Basal Dinosaur from the Dawn of the Dinosaur Era in Southwestern Pangaea (science.org)
- Eoraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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