Eoraptor

Name meaning:

Dawn hunter

Period of life:

231-228 mya

Period:

Triassic period

Habitat:

Tropical and subtropical forests

Taxonomy:

Sauropodomorphs

Countries:

Coelophysis

Eudimorphodon

Eoraptor ()

Eoraptor lunensis — one of the most ancient dinosaurs on our planet. This small reptile lived more than 230 million years ago, during the Triassic Period, in what is now Argentina. Its fossil remains were discovered in 1991 during excavations in Ischigualasto National Park, in an area locals call the Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna). This locality gave the dinosaur its species name — «lunar».

Eoraptor was tiny by the standards of its later descendants: its body length was about 1.7 metres, and it weighed no more than 5–10 kilograms. It moved on two hind legs, each with three clawed toes. The forelimbs were about half as long and had five fingers, also armed with sharp claws — useful for grasping prey.

From the structure of its teeth, scientists have concluded that Eoraptor was omnivorous. It fed on a varied diet: small animals, insects, and plants. It may also have scavenged, feeding on the remains left by larger predators.

Modern research suggests that Eoraptor may have been among the earliest ancestors of the famous long-necked dinosaurs — the sauropods. Like them, it did not have feathers, and its skin was covered in scales.

Despite its modest size, Eoraptor played an important role in the history of life on Earth. It stood at the very beginning of the great age of dinosaurs — a time when small, agile reptiles were only just starting their rise to dominance.

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