Dinosaurs A to Z
Herrerasauridae

Herrerasaurus

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Herrerasaurus 4.5 m (14.8 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Herrerasaurus
Length
4.5 m (14.8 ft)
Period
Late Triassic (231.4–228.91 Mya)
Place
South America · Argentina · Brazil
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Herrerasauridae
Herrerasaurus reconstruction by ДиБгд at Russian Wikipedia Hands fixed by FunkMonk.
Reconstruction · ДиБгд at Russian Wikipedia Hands fixed by FunkMonk. (CC0)

Herrerasaurus is likely a genus of saurischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic period. Measuring 6 m long and weighing around 350 kg, this genus was one of the earliest dinosaurs from the fossil record. Its name means “Herrera’s lizard”, after the rancher who discovered the first specimen in 1958 in South America. All known fossils of this carnivore have been discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation of Carnian age (late Triassic according to the ICS, dated to 231.4 million years ago) in northwestern Argentina. The type species, Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, was described by Osvaldo Reig in 1963 and is the only species assigned to the genus. Ischisaurus and Frenguellisaurus are synonyms.

For many years, the classification of Herrerasaurus was unclear because it was known from very fragmentary remains.

What we know

  • Named by Reig, 1963.
  • Body length estimated at about 4.5 m.
  • Fossils found in South America and Argentina.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Herrerasaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.