Nyasasaurus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nyasasaurus |
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| Approximation of animal based on partial skeleton shown in black (first specimen, six vertebrae and a humerus) and blue (second specimen, three cervical vertebrae). | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauriformes |
| Genus: | †Nyasasaurus Nesbitt et al., 2013 |
| Type species | |
| †Nyasasaurus parringtoni Nesbitt et al., 2013
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Nyasasaurus ("Lake Nyasa lizard") is an extinct genus of Archosaur reptile from the Middle Triassic Manda Beds of Tanzania. It may be the earliest known dinosaur. The discovery was a handful of bones from two individuals, so its anatomy is only partly known. The bones were collected in the early 1930s, but have only recently been analysed.
Researchers said: "Nyasasaurus possesses a unique combination of dinosaur character states and an elevated growth rate similar to that of definitive early dinosaurs. It demonstrates that the initial dinosaur radiation occurred over a longer timescale than previously thought (possibly 15 million years earlier)".
The find was six vertebrae and a humerus from one specimen, and five vertebrae from another. The humerus has a muscle attachment which is characteristic of dinosaurs (a long 'deltopectoral crest'). Other features are consistent with its being a basal dinosaur.
Previously, the oldest record of dinosaurs was from Argentina and dated back to the Upper Triassic Carnian stage, about 231.4 million years ago (mya). Nyasasaurus comes from a deposit that dates back to the Middle Triassic Anisian stage, meaning that it predates other early dinosaurs by about 15 million years.
See also
In Spanish: Nyasasaurus parringtoni para niños
