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sharp-clawed runner
Elaphrosaurus
Say it like this: “el-AH-froh-SOR-uhs”
Elaphrosaurus bambergi
Elaphrosaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Jurassic. Bones have been found in Tanzania.
- When
- Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) · roughly 154.8 to 149.2 million years ago
- Named in
- 1920 · Janensch, W.
- Hip height
- 1.5 m · 5 ft
- Length
- 6–6.2 m · 20–20 ft
- Weight
- 200–210 kg · 441–463 lb
- Found in
- Tanzania · Tendaguru
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Elaphrosaurinae
The story in short
Elaphrosaurus was formally named in 1920 by W. Janensch. The name means “nimble lizard.”
Fossils referred to Elaphrosaurus date to the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian), roughly 154.8 to 149.2 million years ago. Finds come from Tanzania, including the Tendaguru Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Elaphrosaurus at a length near 6–6.2 m, hips about 1.5 m high, and a body mass around 200–210 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Elaphrosaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.