Fun Agrosaurus Facts For Kids

The name Agrosaurus is not what these animals were identified by initially. Originally thought to be a prosauropod from Australia, Agrosaurus would thus be the oldest dinosaur on the land. However, a mix-up was later identified. The fossil remains were not from Australia at all — instead, they were from present-day England!

This old dinosaur species gives us a tiny peek into the Triassic period, being one of the forerunners of the various genera that later sprouted during the time. The name, literally translating to ‘field lizard’, has originated from the bone structure that suggests that the genus was herbivorous and spent most of its day in search of delicious vegetables and plants.

For more related content, check out Spinostropheus and Cetiosauriscus.

How do you pronounce 'Agrosaurus '?

The name of this genus is pronounced as 'ag-raw-sore-us.'

What type of dinosaur was an Agrosaurus?

Agrosaurus was a member of the thecodontosaurus family or the family thecodontosauridae. This animal was wrongly thought of as a prosauropod from Australia, but the genus was later associated rightly with the thecodontosaurus family of present-day England.

In which geological period did the Agrosaurus roam the earth?

These animals are estimated to have lived on earth during the Triassic period. If you happen to be wondering how long ago that was, you will be amused to know that this particular species tread earth around 199 - 228 million years ago!

When did the Agrosaurus become extinct?

The exact timeline of the end of the Triassic period is not known to us, however, since these dinosaurs were quite old, they must have gone through mutations that could possibly give rise to completely new species of animals.

Where did an Agrosaurus live?

The habitat of these herbivores, mainly due to the nature of their plant and vegetable-based diet, can be estimated to have consisted of forests and woodlands. Any richly vegetated areas would be best suited to this herbivorous animal species.

What was an Agrosaurus's habitat?

The fossil remains of these animals were first wrongly thought to have belonged to a member of the prosauropod family from Australia. According to this assumption, Agrosaurus would thus be the oldest dinosaur to have been found in Australia. It was later found out that there had been a mistake and that the fossil remains were actually excavated from Bristol in present-day England. The family was that of thecodontosaurus.

Since the fossil remains of the animal species of Agrosaurus macgillivrayi are yet to be found in other parts of the world, it is often assumed that they were endemic to Bristol, England.

Who did an Agrosaurus live with?

While we do not exactly know how it would have behaved when placed in a society with other animal species that inhabited present-day British lands, it can be assumed that this relative of thecodontosaurus would have preferred to live in small or large groups. The fossils of the genus suggest that these animals were herbivorous, and it is considered to be a fairly uniform virtue in herbivores to prefer living in groups or packs. This is understood to be an evolutionary technique that allowed these dinosaurs to not only search for food and mates but also avoid being preyed upon.

How long did an Agrosaurus live?

The average lifespan of Agrosaurus (previously a prosauropod from Australia) is not known, neither is there any conclusive information regarding the time that they might have spent on earth during the Triassic period.

How did they reproduce?

Dinosaurs found all over the world are known to have been oviparous, and there are no evidence understood from the bone structure of the fossils that the Agrosaurus would have been an exception. That is to say, Agrosaurus macgillivrayi reproduced through laying eggs.

Since the species is not known to have had feathers, it becomes difficult to assume that they would have had courting displays, however, these dinosaurs might have preferred to nest in groups in order to save the eggs from predatory dinosaurs such as troodontids.

What did an Agrosaurus look like?

The appearance of the Agrosaurus is a matter of speculation since the fossils of the genus are scanty. This animal is thought to be of average height and length, if not small. Small size is characteristic of Triassic herbivores. With a long neck and strong hindlimbs, these animals are quite majestic!

*We've been unable to source an image of Agrosaurus and have used an image of Thecodontosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Agrosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]

How many bones did an Agrosaurus have?

The exact number of bones that an Agrosaurus would have is not known to us since only small parts of this animal have been found.

How did they communicate?

It is well known that dinosaurs communicated through harsh calls. The Agrosaurus (agro and saurus meaning field and lizard, respectively) is estimated to have had a harsh call of its own that helped communicate with members of the same family since these dinosaurs had a long neck, which may have helped in displays.

How big was an Agrosaurus?

The average Agrosaurus would be about 11.4 ft (3.5 m) in length and 3.28 ft (1 m) in height based on the fragments of fossil remains that have been found.

How fast could an Agrosaurus move?

The average speed at which this dinosaur genus called field lizard could run is not known, however, we do know that the small size and lightweight would facilitate a fast pace.

How much did an Agrosaurus weigh?

The average weight of a field lizard, based on the fossil remains from the Triassic period, would be of around 617.2 lb (280 kg). This places them in a group with rather light-weighted animals of the period.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Since there are no distinct names for the male and female field lizard dinosaurs, we have decided to refer to them as the male Agrosaurus and female Agrosaurus respectively.

What would you call a baby Agrosaurus?

The baby Agrosaurus would be called a hatchling simply because this genus is known to have been oviparous, and the babies would 'hatch' out of their eggs!

What did they eat?

Agrosaurus is known to have been a herbivorous field lizard whose diet mainly consisted of fruits and vegetables that must have been aplenty during the Triassic period of the earth.

How aggressive were they?

It is unlikely that these animals would have been aggressive simply because they were herbivorous, and aggression is not a virtue that is commonly seen in herbivores.

Did you know...

The Agrosaurus was first thought to be a prosauropod from Australia, and Agrosaurus would thus be the oldest dinosaur on the land.

The fossils of Agrosaurus can be seen in the British Museum of Natural History.

The name Agrosaurus is a culmination of two words. 'Agro' meaning field, and 'sauros' meaning lizard.

Who is the fifth dinosaur?

The fifth dinosaur of the world was Thecodontorsaurus, which belongs to the same family and is closely related to Agrosaurus.

What is the oldest dinosaur?

The oldest known dinosaur in the world is Titanosaurus. The fossils of this dinosaur were found in Argentina.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover!

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

*The first image was captured by Wolfgang Sauber. The second image was captured by  Arthur Weasley.