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85 / Mesozoic
Herrerasaurus
Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis
One of the earliest large dinosaurs was a lightly built two-legged predator.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 231–229 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Late Triassic
- Geographic range
- Southwestern Pangaea · Present-day Argentina
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Herrerasaurus?
This archive records Herrerasaurus under the scientific name Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, with an age of About 231–229 million years ago and a range of Southwestern Pangaea · Present-day Argentina. One of the earliest large dinosaurs was a lightly built two-legged predator.
Herrerasaurus combined primitive features with a fully predatory skull and grasping hands. It lived before dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Herrerasaurus at a glance
- Scientific name
- Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis
- Age
- About 231–229 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- Early Late Triassic
- Known range
- Southwestern Pangaea · Present-day Argentina
- Broad group
- dinosaur
- Archive era
- Mesozoic
- Habitat signals
- vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate
- Documented regions
- South America
03 / ANATOMY
How was Herrerasaurus built?
Overall body plan
One of the earliest large dinosaurs was a lightly built two-legged predator.
Skull, teeth and display structures
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Herrerasaurus, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Limbs, balance and locomotion
Herrerasaurus combined primitive features with a fully predatory skull and grasping hands. It lived before dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Herrerasaurus.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Herrerasaurus live?
Herrerasaurus combined primitive features with a fully predatory skull and grasping hands. It lived before dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Herrerasaurus live?
This archive currently lists About 231–229 million years ago; Southwestern Pangaea · Present-day Argentina. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Southwestern Pangaea · Present-day Argentina. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 231–229 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as Early Late Triassic. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels vegetation, prey communities, floodplains and regional climate. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Herrerasaurus?
Primary record
Several skeletons and exceptionally preserved skulls document its place in dinosaur origins.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Herrerasaurus within About 231–229 million years ago and Southwestern Pangaea · Present-day Argentina. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Herrerasaurus disappear?
Late Triassic environmental turnover replaced its earliest dinosaur community.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Herrerasaurus FAQ
What was Herrerasaurus?
This archive records Herrerasaurus under the scientific name Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, with an age of About 231–229 million years ago. One of the earliest large dinosaurs was a lightly built two-legged predator.
When did Herrerasaurus live?
The current archive range is About 231–229 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is Early Late Triassic.
Where was Herrerasaurus found?
The archive currently lists Southwestern Pangaea · Present-day Argentina. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Herrerasaurus?
Several skeletons and exceptionally preserved skulls document its place in dinosaur origins.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS