Nyasasaurus

What it was like

Nyasasaurus is known only from a handful of fragmentary bones, not enough to say much about its size or shape. Because those bones show traits close to those of the earliest true dinosaurs, some paleontologists count Nyasasaurus among the very first dinosaurs known. Whether it was truly a dinosaur or just a very close relative just outside the group is still debated.

Its world

Nyasasaurus lived in what is now Tanzania during the Middle Triassic, between about 247 and 242 million years ago. Its bones come from the Manda Beds, from two finds. It shared this ancient landscape with Asilisaurus, an early relative of dinosaurs.

How it was found

Charig named Nyasasaurus in 1967, though the animal was not formally described in detail until decades later. Its type species is Nyasasaurus cromptoni. Because so little of the skeleton is known, Nyasasaurus remains one of the most uncertain candidates for the title of oldest dinosaur.