Herrerasaurus was an early meat-eating dinosaur that lived during the Triassic period.

NAME

Meaning - Herrerasaurus means “Herrera’s lizard” named for Don Victorino Herrera
Pronounced - her-AIR-a-SAWR-us
Named By - Osvaldo A. Reig
When Named - 1963
DIET

Carnivore (meat-eater)
SIZE

Length - 13 ft (3.9 m) long
Height - 4 ft (1.1 m) tall at the hips
Weight - 460 pounds (210 kg)
WHEN IT LIVED

Triassic period, about 235-230 million years ago
WHERE IT LIVED

Fossils have been found in the Ishigualasto region, San Juan Province, northwestern Argentina, South America.
FOSSILS

The first Herrerasaurus fossil was found in 1958 by Don Victorino Herrera, a local rancher. Three partial skeletons have been found. The first Herrerasaurus skull wasn’t found until 1988.
CLASSIFICATION
  • Kingdom Animalia (animals)
  • Phylum Chordata (having a hollow nerve chord ending in a brain)
  • Class Archosauria (diapsids with socket-set teeth, etc.)
  • Order Saurischia - lizard-hipped dinosaurs
  • Suborder Theropoda - bipedal carnivores
  • Genus Herrerasaurus
  • Species H. ischigualastensis (type species named by Reig, 1963)
INTERESTING FACTS

Herrerasaurus was one of the earliest dinosaurs. It walked on two long legs and had sharp teeth. The arms were short and the fingers had sharp claws.