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Powellvenator

Say it: pow-ell-ven-AY-tor

Name means: “Jaime Powell's hunter”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Triassic

Powellvenator was a small, fast meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina during the Late Triassic. It was an early relative of bigger theropods like Coelophysis and ran on two long legs.1 4

Lived

227 to 206 million years ago4

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Los Colorados Formation, northwestern Argentina1 4

Food

Meat4 1

Length

1.5 to 2.5 m1

estimated from partial hindlimb fossils

Weight

10 kg to 20 kg1

Height

0.5 to 0.8 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 5 house cats

as long as 2.5 dogs nose to tailas long as 14 bananas end to endas heavy as 4 watermelons

How big was Powellvenator compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Powellvenator is known only from partial hindlimb bones, so scientists are still guessing what its full body looked like.1

It was one of the first coelophysoid dinosaurs found in South America, filling a gap in the fossil record.1 2

The fossils were originally thought to belong to a different dinosaur group, but later study showed they were a new species.1 2

Its ankle bone had a special S-shaped edge and a rounded bump, which helped scientists identify it as a new dinosaur.1

Powellvenator lived during the Norian stage of the Late Triassic, about 221 to 206 million years ago.1 4

The name honors Argentine paleontologist Jaime Powell, who collected many fossils in the region.1

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

?How big was Powellvenator?

It was very small, weighing about 700 to 725 grams, or roughly as much as a small bird. Scientists estimate this from its leg bones.3

?What did Powellvenator eat?

It was a meat-eating dinosaur, or theropod, that likely hunted small prey. Its name means 'hunter' in Latin.1 3

?When did Powellvenator live?

It lived during the Norian stage of the Late Triassic, about 213 million years ago. That is long before the famous dinosaurs like T. rex.1 3

?Where was Powellvenator found?

Its fossils were found in northwestern Argentina, in the Los Colorados Formation. This area was a dry, river-filled landscape during the Late Triassic.1 2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Powellvenator
Named by: Ezcurra 20174
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Coelophysidae4
Classification: Theropoda > Coelophysoidea4
Age of the rocks: 227 to 206 million years (Norian)4
Rock formations: Los Colorados4
Countries: Argentina4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Powellvenator was named by paleontologist Martín D. Ezcurra in 2017, based on partial hindlimb bones collected by José Bonaparte in the Los Colorados Formation of Argentina.1 2
Still debated: Because only leg bones are known, scientists are not sure about the full size, body shape, or whether it had feathers.1

Where the facts come from

Powellvenator (en.wikipedia.org)
A NEW EARLY COELOPHYSOID NEOTHEROPOD FROM THE LATE TRIASSIC OF NORTHWESTERN ARGENTINA | Ameghiniana (ameghiniana.org.ar)
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE (ri.conicet.gov.ar)
Powellvenator in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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