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early dinosaur
Chindesaurus
Say it like this: “CHIN-diss-OR-uhs”
Chindesaurus bryansmalli
Chindesaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Triassic. Bones have been found in the United States.
- When
- Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago
- Named in
- 1995 · Long, R. A.; Murry, P. A.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 4 m · 13 ft
- Weight
- 23–45 kg · 51–99 lb
- Found in
- the United States · Chinle
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- early dinosaur · Early dinosaur
- Family branch
- Saurischia
The story in short
In 1995, R. A. Long and P. A. Murry published the name Chindesaurus. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.
Fossils referred to Chindesaurus date to the Late Triassic (Norian), roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago. Finds come from the United States, including the Chinle Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Chindesaurus at a length near 4 m and a body mass around 23–45 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Saurischia, among the earliest dinosaurs.