Staurikosaurus
Staurikosaurus was one of the very first dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth. It was a small, fast meat-eater that lived in what is now Brazil over 220 million years ago.12
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Fun facts
Staurikosaurus was one of the earliest known dinosaurs, living about 227 to 221 million years ago during the Triassic Period.1
It was only about 2 metres (6.6 feet) long, roughly the size of a large dog.1
Its name means 'southern cross lizard', after the Southern Cross constellation that can be seen from Brazil.1
Only a single partial skeleton has been found, including parts of the skull, backbone, hips and legs.5
Some scientists once thought Staurikosaurus might be the same as Herrerasaurus, another early dinosaur from Argentina.2
Staurikosaurus lived alongside giant amphibians and early crocodile-like reptiles in a warm, dry landscape.2
Most asked questions about Staurikosaurus
?How big was Staurikosaurus?
Staurikosaurus was about 2.1 to 2.25 metres (6.9 to 7.4 feet) long and weighed around 12 kilograms (26 pounds). That is roughly the size of a large dog.31
?What did Staurikosaurus eat?
Staurikosaurus was a carnivore. It ate small animals like early reptiles, cynodonts and rhynchosaurs. Its serrated, curved teeth helped it catch and tear meat.34
?How fast could Staurikosaurus run?
Staurikosaurus was a quick runner for its size. Its long legs and stiff tail helped it balance while running and leaping.3
?Did Staurikosaurus have feathers?
Nobody knows for sure. No fossils of Staurikosaurus have shown feathers, and it lived so early that it probably had scales like other primitive dinosaurs.3
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Myth buster
Myth: Many people think Staurikosaurus was a type of prosauropod or plant-eater.
Truth: Scientists now agree it was a theropod, a meat-eating dinosaur closely related to Herrerasaurus.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Staurikosaurus
- Named by
- Colbert 19705
- Group
- First dinosaurs
- Family / clade
- Herrerasauridae5
- Classification
- Herrerasauridae5
- Age of the rocks
- 237 to 227 million years (Carnian)5
- Rock formations
- Santa Maria5
- Countries
- Brazil5
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Also known as
- Teyuwasu (older names now counted as the same animal)5
- Discovery
- Staurikosaurus was named by American paleontologist Edwin H. Colbert in 1970, based on a partial skeleton found in the Santa Maria Formation of Brazil.51
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether Staurikosaurus was a very early theropod or a primitive dinosaur that lived before theropods split from other dinosaurs.2
Where the facts come from
- Staurikosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Staurikosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Staurikosaurus | Earth and Atmospheric Sciences | Research Starters | EBSCOhost (ebsco.com)
- Staurikosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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