Fun Abrictosaurus Facts For Kids

The Abrictosaurus consors is one of the first dinosaurs to have walked on the planet in the late Triassic and early Jurassic periods, which is 200 to 195 million years ago. Abrictosaurus consors means 'wakeful lizard', and the name comes from the Greek, coined by James Hopson in 1975.

The Jurassic period fossils were discovered in the upper Elliot Formation in Lesotho and Cape Province in South Africa, along with others such as Lycorhinus and Heterodontosaurus. They were small compared to other dinosaurs and were mostly known for their large, canine-like tusks.

Their sex could be easily determined as the males had tusks while the females lacked them.

They were bipedal and could travel long distances using only two feet. They were very active and moved in small groups.

Along with facts about Abrictosaurus for kids, also learn interesting and amazing Austroraptor and Ostafrikasaurus facts.

Abrictosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce Abrictosaurus?

Abrictosauras should be broken into five small words: 'ab-ric-to-sau-rus'.

What type of dinosaur was an Abrictosaurus?

An Abrictosauras belonged to the genus Heterodontosaurid. They were Early Jurassic period bipedal and herbivores are considered to be one of the oldest in the family of Heterodontosaurids.

In which geological period did the Abrictosaurus roam the earth?

The Abrictosauras roamed the earth during the Hettangian and Sinemurian stages of the early Jurassic period which was approximately 200 to 190 million years ago.

When did the Abrictosaurus become extinct?

The Abrictosaurus become extinct 66 million years ago. Geological evidence indicates that a large celestial object had a collision with the earth which caused a worldwide change in the ecosystem and natural calamities, wiping the era of dinosaurs from the earth.

Where did an Abrictosaurus live?

The Abrictosaurus consors remains were discovered in the Upper Elliot Formation of Qacha's Nek District in Lesotho and Cape Province of South Africa.

What was an Abrictosaurus' habitat?

The Abrictosaurus dinosaurs had a habitat comprising dried ponds and lakes.

Who did an Abrictosaurus live with?

From the fossil remains of the Elliot Formation, it was discovered that other dinosaur species like the Sauropodomorph massospondylus, the Theropod megapnosaurus, and heterodontosaurids such as Lycorhinus and Heterodontosaurus, as well as many late Triassic and late Jurassic archosaurs, lived alongside Abrictosauras. Crocodilians and prosauropods also co-existed with the Abrictosaurus in Africa.

How long did an Abrictosaurus live?

The average lifespan of an Abrictosaurus dinosaur was only 13 years.

How did they reproduce?

The female Abrictosauras laid eggs in a cup-shaped nest, mound, or burrow. There is no information about the number of eggs or the incubation period of the eggs. The males primarily incubated the eggs.

Abrictosaurus Fun Facts

What did an Abrictosaurus look like?

Abrictosaurus were small dinosaurs, distinguished by large, canine-like tusks or teeth called caniniforms. They had strong beaks to crop plants, small, weak forelimbs, and powerful legs with toes in the shape of claws. They had a special plumage covering only their tail and back. The tusks or teeth were found only in males, thus distinguishing their sex.

How many bones did an Abrictosaurus have?

There is no record of the number of bones or teeth this Abrictosaurus skeleton had.

How did they communicate?

The Abrictosaurus dinosaurs communicated through vision and vocal sounds. They made hissing sounds, clapped their jaws together, or rubbed their scales on things in their environment like most other dinosaur species. They also signaled to each other by exchanging looks.

How big was an Abrictosaurus?

An adult Abrictosaurus size was 47 in (1.2 m) in length, similar to Lycorhinus.

How fast could an Abrictosaurus move?

There is no record of the speed of the Abrictosaurus or Abrictosaurus height, but the shape of their body helped them reach high speeds. They ran fast to defend themselves from predators and they also traveled long distances in search of food.

How much did an Abrictosaurus weigh?

A mature Abrictosaurus can weigh approximately up to 100 lb (45 kg) and the juvenile can weigh 0.68-3 kg (1.5-6.6 lb). They were heavier than a Lycorhinus.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Both the male and female of the species are known as Abrictosaurus.

What would you call a baby Abrictosaurus?

A baby Abrictosaurus is called a hatchling.

What did they eat?

The Abrictosaurus diet was believed to be herbivorous as their front jaw had no teeth but it had a strong beak used to crop vegetation. Some researchers believe that they were omnivores, feeding on meat in dry months, and preying on small ground animals.

How aggressive were they?

These dinosaurs were not aggressive as they mostly fed on vegetation. If attacked by large predators, they used their strong legs to flee. They might be aggressive to protect their eggs.

Did you know...

In 1974, paleontologist Richard Thulborn was the first to describe the specimens and considered them to be a new species of Lychorhinus.

Later, in the year 1975, James Hopson redescribed the specimens and showed that they did not belong to the Lychorhinus on the basis of the tusks found in one of the two specimens, and thus named the new genus as Abrictosaurus.

Special plumage on their tail and body was a defense mechanism, which made them look bigger against the predators.

What does the name Abrictosaurus mean?

In the name Abrictosaurus, the word 'abricto' has Greek origin and means 'wakeful', and the next Greek word, 'saurus', means 'lizard'. Hence, the name means 'wakeful lizard'. This name was given by paleontologist Hopson.

When was the Abrictosaurus discovered?

There were only two specimens of fossil remains of Abrictosaurus found in the Upper Elliot Formation in Lesotho, South Africa. The specimens were first described by paleontologist Richard Thulborn in 1974.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Paronychodon fun facts or Szechuanosaurus facts for kids pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Abrictosaurus dinosaur coloring pages.