Unaysaurus

Say it like this: “yoo-na-hee-SOR-us”

Unaysaurus tolentinoi

Unaysaurus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Triassic. Bones have been found in Brazil.

Quiz me on Unaysaurus

When: Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago
Named in: 2004 · Leal, L. A.; Azevedo, S. A. K.; Kellner, A. W. A.; Da Rosa, Á. A. S.
Hip height: 0.8 m · 3 ft
Length: 2.5 m · 8 ft
Weight: 70 kg · 154 lb
Found in: Brazil · Caturrita
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two legs
Kind: early long-neck · Sauropodomorph
Family branch: Unaysauridae

The story in short

In 2004, L. A. Leal and colleagues published the name Unaysaurus. The name means “black water.”

Fossils referred to Unaysaurus date to the Late Triassic (Norian), roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago. Finds come from Brazil, including the Caturrita Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Unaysaurus at a length near 2.5 m, hips about 0.8 m high, and a body mass around 70 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Unaysauridae, among the early long-necked dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Jaklapallisaurus

Jaklapallisaurus asymmetricus

Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago

Macrocollum

Macrocollum itaquii

Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago

Musango

Musango matusadonaensis

Late Triassic (Norian) · roughly 227.3 to 205.7 million years ago