Dino card No. 0760 of 2,027

Guaibasaurus

Say it: gwie-bah-SORE-us

Name means: “Guaíba lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksLate Triassic

Guaibasaurus was one of the earliest plant-eating dinosaurs. It lived in what is now Brazil during the Late Triassic, around 225 million years ago. This small dinosaur had a long neck and may have walked on two legs or four.3 2 1

Lived

227 to 206 million years ago3

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil2 1

Food

Plants3 1

Length

2 to 3 m2

different estimates by scientists

Weight

10 kg to 35 kg2

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 9 house cats

as long as 3 dogs nose to tailas long as 17 bananas end to endas heavy as 7 watermelons

How big was Guaibasaurus compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Guaibasaurus fossils have been found in a sleeping posture, with legs tucked under the body and arms bent to the side, similar to modern birds.2

This dinosaur lived about 225.42 million years ago, based on uranium-lead dating of the rocks where its fossils were found.2

Scientists are not sure if Guaibasaurus was an early theropod or an early sauropodomorph. Most studies place it among the sauropodomorphs.2 1

The name Guaibasaurus comes from the Rio Guaíba basin in Brazil, where the first fossil was discovered during a scientific project.2 1

Only one species of Guaibasaurus is known, called Guaibasaurus candelariensis. The species name honors the nearby city of Candelária.2

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

?How big was Guaibasaurus?

Scientists give different estimates. Gregory S. Paul said it was about 2 metres long (6.6 ft) and weighed 10 kg (22 lbs), while Molina-Pérez and Larramendi said it was about 3 metres long (10 ft) and 35 kg (77 lbs).2

?What did Guaibasaurus eat?

It was a plant-eater, or herbivore.1

?When did Guaibasaurus live?

It lived during the Late Triassic Period, about 225.42 million years ago.2

?Why did Guaibasaurus sleep like a bird?

One fossil was found with its legs tucked under its body and arms bent to the side, just like resting birds. Scientists think it may have slept this way to keep warm.2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Guaibasaurus
Named by: Bonaparte et al. 19993
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Guaibasauridae3
Classification: Sauropodomorpha3
Age of the rocks: 227 to 206 million years (Norian)3
Rock formations: Caturrita3
Countries: Brazil3
Fossil records: 3 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Guaibasaurus was named in 1999 by paleontologists José F. Bonaparte, Jorge Ferigolo, and Ana Maria Ribeiro. They described it based on a partial skeleton found in the Caturrita Formation of Brazil.2 1 3
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Guaibasaurus was a very early sauropodomorph or a primitive theropod. Its exact place on the dinosaur family tree is not settled.2 1

Where the facts come from

Guaibasaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Guaibasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Guaibasaurus 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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