Dino card No. 0793 of 2,015

Herrerasaurus

Say it: heh-RAIR-uh-SORE-us

Name means: “Herrerasaurus means 'Herrera's lizard', named after a rancher named Herrera.”3

Ate: MeatFirst dinosaursLate Triassic

Herrerasaurus was one of the very first dinosaurs. It was a fast, two-legged hunter with sharp claws and teeth. It lived in Argentina about 230 million years ago.1 3

Lived

237 to 227 million years ago3

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Fossils were found in the Ischigualasto Formation in Argentina, in the provinces of San Juan and La Rioja.3 2

Food

Meat1

Length

3 to 6 m3

Scientists think it was about 3 to 6 metres long, but the exact size is uncertain.

Weight

30 kg to 300 kg3

Artist's life restoration of Herrerasaurus — How Herrerasaurus may have looked, by ДиБгд at Russian Wikipedia Hands fixed by FunkMonk.. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

Herrerasaurus had a short forelimb that was specialized for grasping and raking, making it a skilled predator.1

It lived during the Carnian age, about 237 to 227 million years ago, which is very early in dinosaur history.3

Some scientists used to think Herrerasaurus was not a true dinosaur, but now most agree it was an early theropod.2

Herrerasaurus is the type genus of the family Herrerasauridae, a group of early meat-eating dinosaurs.2

The first fossils were found in 1963, but a complete skull and skeleton were not unearthed until 1992.1 3

Herrerasaurus was an agile, bipedal predator, meaning it walked on two legs and was quick on its feet.1

Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Herrerasaurus was a dinosaur like T. rex, but it was much older and more primitive.

Truth: Herrerasaurus was an early dinosaur, but it lived about 230 million years ago, long before T. rex. It had a shorter forelimb and a more primitive body.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Herrerasaurus
Named by: Reig 19633
Group: First dinosaurs
Family / clade: Herrerasauridae3
Classification: Herrerasauridae3
Age of the rocks: 237 to 227 million years (Carnian)3
Rock formations: Ischigualasto3
Countries: Argentina3
Fossil records: 11 in the Paleobiology Database3
Also known as: Frenguellisaurus, Ischisaurus (older names now counted as the same animal)3
Discovery: Herrerasaurus was named by Osvaldo Reig in 1963, based on fossils found in Argentina. Later, a complete skull and skeleton were discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation, helping scientists understand its anatomy.3 1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Herrerasaurus was a true theropod or a more primitive dinosaur, because it has features of both.2

Where the facts come from

The Complete Skull and Skeleton of an Early Dinosaur (science.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Herrerasaurus 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 hello@dinowiki.app and we will fix it.