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Chindesaurus

Say it: CHIN-dee-SORE-us

Name means: “Chinde lizard”1

Ate: MeatFirst dinosaursLate Triassic

Chindesaurus was an early meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 213 to 210 million years ago. It walked on two legs and was about as big as a wolf. Its fossils were found in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, USA.2

Lived

227 to 206 million years ago3

Late Triassic

Fossils found in

Arizona, New Mexico, and possibly Texas, USA2 3

Food

Meat2 1

Length

2 to 4 m2 1

estimates vary because the skeleton is incomplete

Weight

23 kg to 45 kg2

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 11 house cats

as long as 4 dogs nose to tailas long as 22 bananas end to endas heavy as 9 watermelons

How big was Chindesaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

The first Chindesaurus fossil was nicknamed 'Gertie' after Gertie the Dinosaur, a famous cartoon dinosaur.2

The fossil was airlifted by helicopter out of Petrified Forest National Park on June 6, 1985.2

No skull of Chindesaurus has been found, so scientists guess what its head looked like based on similar dinosaurs.1

Chindesaurus had a long whip-like tail and long legs for running.1

Scientists are not sure if Chindesaurus was a herrerasaurid or a close relative of the dinosaur Tawa.2

The holotype specimen may not be fully grown because some bones were not fused.2

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

?How big was Chindesaurus?

Estimates vary a lot because the skeleton is incomplete. Some scientists say it was 3 to 4 metres (9.8 to 13.1 ft) long, while others think it was about 2 metres (6.6 ft) long and weighed as much as a wolf (23 to 45 kg, or 50 to 100 pounds).2 1

?What did Chindesaurus eat?

Chindesaurus was a carnivore, meaning it ate meat. It likely hunted small animals, but no skull has been found, so scientists are not sure exactly what it ate.1 2

?When did Chindesaurus live?

Chindesaurus lived during the Late Triassic Period, about 213 to 210 million years ago.1 2

?Where was Chindesaurus found?

The first Chindesaurus fossil was found in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, USA. Other possible fossils have been found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.1 2

?Did Chindesaurus have feathers?

Nobody knows for sure. No feathers or feather impressions have been found with Chindesaurus fossils, but some of its close relatives may have had simple feathers.2

?Is Chindesaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, Chindesaurus is a dinosaur. It is a basal saurischian dinosaur, and some scientists think it was an early theropod.1 2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Chindesaurus
Named by: Long and Murry 19953
Group: First dinosaurs
Family / clade: Saurischia3
Age of the rocks: 227 to 206 million years (Norian)3
Rock formations: Chinle3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Chindesaurus was discovered by Bryan Small in 1984 in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. It was named by R.A. Long and P.A. Murry in 1995.2 1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Chindesaurus was a herrerasaurid or a theropod closely related to Tawa.2

Where the facts come from

Chindesaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Chindesaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Chindesaurus 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 [email protected] and we will fix it.

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