Thecodontosaurus
Thecodontosaurus was one of the very first dinosaurs to ever live. It was a small, speedy plant-eater that ran on two legs and lived in what is now England. This little dinosaur is one of the oldest dinosaurs known to science.1
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Fun facts
Thecodontosaurus was one of the first dinosaurs ever named, back in 1836, even before the word 'dinosaur' existed.1
It had five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot, with a long claw on each finger.1
Its tail was longer than its head, neck and body put together.1
Thecodontosaurus was a fast runner, and its brain and inner ear helped it keep its head steady while moving.2
For a long time, scientists thought Thecodontosaurus was a lizard, not a dinosaur. It was only in 1870 that Thomas Huxley showed it was a dinosaur.1
Some fossils of Thecodontosaurus were once mistaken for a dinosaur from Australia, but they actually came from England.1
Thecodontosaurus lived during the Late Triassic period, about 205 to 201 million years ago.2
Most asked questions about Thecodontosaurus
?How big was Thecodontosaurus?
On average, it was about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) long, 30 centimetres (12 in) tall, and weighed 11 kilograms (24 lb). The largest individuals reached about 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length.1
?What did Thecodontosaurus eat?
It was an herbivore, eating plants. Its jaws had many small to medium-sized, serrated, leaf-shaped teeth for chewing vegetation.1
?When did Thecodontosaurus live?
It lived during the late Triassic period, about 205 to 201 million years ago.1
?Where was Thecodontosaurus found?
Its fossils have been found in southern England, especially near Bristol, and also in Wales.13
?Was Thecodontosaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a dinosaur. It was one of the first dinosaurs to be discovered and one of the oldest that ever existed.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Thecodontosaurus
- Named by
- Riley and Stutchbury 18364
- Group
- Long-necks
- Family / clade
- Sauropodomorpha4
- Classification
- Sauropodomorpha4
- Age of the rocks
- 247 to 193 million years ()4
- Rock formations
- Forest Sandstone, Magnesian Conglomerate, Elliot4
- Countries
- United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, France, Germany, Lesotho4
- Fossil records
- 14 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Thecodontosaurus was discovered in 1834 by surgeon Henry Riley and curator Samuel Stutchbury in a quarry near Bristol, England. They named it in 1836, and the full species name Thecodontosaurus antiquus was given by John Morris in 1843.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether Thecodontosaurus ate only plants or also ate small animals. Its teeth suggest it was mostly a plant-eater, but it might have eaten meat sometimes.2
Where the facts come from
- Thecodontosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- The braincase, brain and palaeobiology of the basal sauropodomorph dinosaur Thecodontosaurus antiquus (cpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com)
- The Bristol Dinosaur - Bristol Museums Collections (collections.bristolmuseums.org.uk)
- Thecodontosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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