Here’s the Ferocious Staurikosaurus!

Starikosaurus 1
The Staurikosaurus was one of the earliest dinosaurs to have a carnivore diet. It was small, with a long, thin head and long tail. Colbert found its fossil in a rock formation in Brazil.

Some Quick Facts about the Staurikosaurus

Staurikosaurus
Staurikosaurus
NameStaurikosaurus (meaning “Southern Cross lizard”)
Type of dinosaurHerrerasauridae
TerritoryTerrestrial/woodlands, Brazil
Size31 inches tall, 7 feet long, 26 lbs
ColorLikely brownish, scaly
Interesting CharacteristicsLong thin head and long tail
DietCarnivore (smaller reptiles)
Major ThreatsNatural disasters

The Staurikosaurus walked the Earth in the Early Triassic of Brazil. Scientists used to think it was a prosauropod, but the Staurikosaurus is a brutal carnivore. Then, some scientists classified it as a theropod dinosaur. But now scientists think it is a herrerasaurid.

Did the Staurikosaurus Hunt on Two Legs?

Yes! The Staurikosaurus was a bipedal vertebrate, so it only used 2 legs to walk, similar to the Dryosaurus. As a carnivore, it hunted smaller animals. Like its relative, the dinosaur Herrerasaurus, it could move its jaw because of a sliding joint. The jaw could go up and down and back and forth. So when it bit its prey, it could manipulate the prey into its throat.

The Staurikosaurus lived in the Late Carnian and the Early Norian stages of the Late Triassic period. So it lived in the same place and period as the Rauisuchus, the apex predator of its time!

What Did a Staurikosaurus Eat?

Staurikosaurus in a battle
Staurikosaurus in a battle

The Rynchosaur was a herbivorous reptile and one of the favorite dishes of the Staurikosaurus. This dinosaur also liked to eat cynodonts, saturnalias, and lizards. Since it was a tiny dinosaur, it could only hunt smaller prey.

It had small teeth curved backward to hold and chew its prey. The Staurikosaurus was fast and could chase prey and run from predators. These carnivorous characteristics helped scientists understand the transition from herbivorous to omnivorous to carnivorous dinosaurs.

What Does the Name “Staurikosaurus” Mean”

Staurikosaurus means “Southern Cross lizard”, because of a constellation only visible in the Southern Hemisphere, where it was found. The Southern Cross has five stars. Two of them form a line that points to the North Pole, so they have served as a guide for travelers for centuries.

The type species, the species with its name as a reference for the entire group, is Staurikosaurus pricei. The name “pricei” comes from Llewellyn Ivor Price, a paleontologist who worked with the man who discovered it.

Where Did a Staurikosaurus Live?

The Staurikosaurus lived in the forest. Organic matter usually decomposes in the forest. This is one reason why paleontology experts can’t find many complete fossils of this dino.

Edwin Colbert found the Staurikosaurus in the Santa Maria Formation in Brazil, South America. The Santa Maria Formation is a sedimentary rock formation in the Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil. Over 50 Dinosauria and other animals were found in this formation.

Ana C.

Ana C. is an artistic writer who loves shaping language around her message. For her, dinosaurs are one of the most remarkable creatures to set foot on Earth. She loves hanging out with goats, overanalyzing TV shows, and eating feijoada with farofa.

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