Fun Chilesaurus Facts For Kids

It is quite astonishing when we see the skeletons and fossils of dinosaurs that once inhabited Earth million years ago are extinct now. The different Jurassic eras witnessed major global shifts and evolution. The Chilesaurus belonged to the late Jurassic period and was a missing link between two different kinds of dinosaurs. The discovery of the Chilesaurus skeleton was an interesting phenomenon as it was discovered by seven years old. The discovery was made in 2004 when the son of Rita de la Cruz and Manuel Suárez was digging for ornamental stones. The seven years old Diego Suárez discovered the rib and a vertebra of the Chilesaurus in the Aisén region of Chile. Although the Chilesaurus was the missing link between the meat-eating and plant-eating dinosaurs. The Chilesaurus were primarily plant-eaters. The Chilesaurus was initially placed under the Tetanurae group of Theropod. It displays an amalgamation of various clades including the Ornithischia, Sauropodomorpha, and Coelurosauria. However, in its fundamental definition, it is not related to any of these clades.

Intrigued already? Want to learn more about the Chilesaurus? Then keep reading this article as more interesting facts about this dinosaur are stated below.

If you like this article then check our other articles on Mapusaurus and Oxalaia and share these amazing facts with everyone.

How do you pronounce 'Chilesaurus'? 

The name of Chilesaurus is taken from the name of the South American country ‘Chile’ so it is pronounced as ‘Chil-ee’ and ‘Saurus as ‘sore-rus’. Therefore together it is pronounced as ‘Chill-e-sore-us’

What type of dinosaur was a Chilesaurus?

The classification of this Chilesaurus is moderately complicated because it is the combination of different traits of different groups. The genus Chilesaurus contains herbivores dinosaurs and the only known species is the Chilesaurus diegosuarezi. The characteristics that are possessed by the Chilesaurus is a blend of the Theropods, which were initially carnivores of clade saurischian, the Ornithischia, and the Sauropodomorpha. The Ornithischian dinosaurs were primarily herbivores and their pelvic structure had a resemblance with birds, thus ornithischians refer to bird-hipped. The Sauropodomorpha is a clade of herbivores dinosaurs just like the Ornithischians. The Sauropodomorpha also incorporates the Sauropods, which were mainly lizard footed that were identified for their small heads, long necks, and long tails. After its discovery in 2004, several other specimens were uncovered that were reported in 2008. Later it was acknowledged that all of the different specimens belong to one species that was a mix of different characteristics. In 2015 the Chilesaurus diegosuarezi was named by many paleontologist honoring Diego Suárez. Although the Chilesaurus was placed under the group of theropods and exhibited a combination of Sauropods, Coelurosauria, and Ornithischians yet in its traditional explication it was related to none of these groups. In 2017, Barrett and Baron suggested that the Chilesaurus may have the root of Ornithischian dinosaurs as it is more close to the theropods and sauropods. However, in 2018 Müller et al. proposed another theory as a reply to Barrett and Baron suggesting that the Chilesaurus may have the base of Sauropodomorph and not ornithischians. Barrett and Baron did not agree to this theory as it was an important discovery of Ornithoscelida that place the theropods with ornithischians.

In which geological period did the Chilesaurus roam the earth?

There are different phases of Jurassic evolution and with every new geological period, the earth underwent several changes. The late Jurassic was approximately about 145-165 million years ago and the Chilesaurus belonged to the late Jurassic period.

When did the Chilesaurus become extinct?

The exact date for the extinction of these dinosaurs is not listed, However, dinosaurs became extinct towards the end of the Cretaceous Period.

Where did a Chilesaurus live? 

The name of this genus is Chilesaurus because it was discovered in the Aisén region of Chile in South America. This genus of dinosaurs contains only one species currently the Chilesaurus diegosuarezi as it was discovered by the seven years old Diego Suárez in 2004.

What was a Chilesaurus' habitat? 

The Chilesaurus were primarily plant-eating dinosaurs unlike other meat-eating dinosaurs of the Theropod clade. Although the exact description of their habitat is not listed yet it has to be assumed that their habitat did possess immense plants and trees.

Who did a Chilesaurus live with?

Not much has been documented regarding their social behavior.

How long did a Chilesaurus live?

The average lifespan of this genus of dinosaurs is not listed.

How did they reproduce?

The dinosaurs belong to the class of Reptile, and some of the species were able to fly as shared resemblance with birds. The Chilesaurus possess a variety of features from different groups and clades. Nevertheless, like modern days reptiles, the dinosaurs have also reproduced sexually. But due to the lack of data, it is difficult to explicitly describe their sexual behavior just like the Chilesaurus diegosuarezi. It is evident that this species of dinosaur reproduced sexually, but there is insufficient data to describe anything more than this.

What did a Chilesaurus look like?

The features have been illustrated from the Chilesaurus fossil and skeleton that has been discovered by paleontologists. Thus, it has been concluded that the Chilesaurus dinosaur had a body length of 10.5 ft (3.2 m). This particular dinosaur is a blend of different clades therefore, their features resemble that of Ornithischians, theropods, and sauropodomorphs. This dinosaur was a plant-eater consequently the arrangement and structure of their teeth were unique and rare in theropod species. Besides teeth, Another evidence to support the statement that this dinosaur was a plant-eater is their pubic bone. The unusual large gut with pubic bone pointing backward is a common feature amongst the Ornithischian and rare in theropod species. The Chilesaurus had large claws and strong arms while their foot is broad.

How many bones did a Chilesaurus have?

While studying the skeletal structure of a Chilesaurus one may come across a combination of different arrangements of bones. However, the exact number of bones present is not yet listed.

How did they communicate?

There is no sufficient data about the communication skills of this dinosaur.

How big was a Chilesaurus? 

The Chilesaurus were not big dinosaurs which are evident from their remains. The body length of the only species that is placed under this genus is 10.5 ft (3.2 m) from head to tail. They are relatively smaller than the Stegosaurus that is 21.3-29.5 ft (6.5-9 m) plant-eating late Jurassic dinosaur. They are two times bigger than an average human.

How fast could a Chilesaurus move?

The speed of the Chilesaurus is not listed.

How much did a Chilesaurus weigh?

The weight of the Chilesaurus is not listed.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The names for the male and female Chilesaurus are not listed.

What would you call a baby Chilesaurus?

The exact name for the baby Chilesaurus is not listed. The process, gestation period, clutch size is also not listed. However, as the dinosaur belongs to the class of reptiles, it is assumed that their offspring are also referred to as Hatchlings, and juveniles just like the offspring of other reptiles.

What did they eat? 

The Chilesaurus due to their unique blend of different characteristics were initially thought to belong from the meat-eating group. But, further study of their anatomy has placed them under the group of herbivores. The pointed spatula-shaped teeth enabled them to chew on the leaves for different trees.

How aggressive were they?

The Chilesaurus were herbivores and survived on plants, not much has been documented regarding its behavior.

Did you know...

Although the Chilesaurus ate plants and were herbivores they were more closely related to the meat-eating Tyrannosaurus than plant-eating dinosaurs.

The Chilesaurus is the link between which dinosaurs?

The Chilesaurus has so many distinguishing features that there was great confusion amongst various paleontologists. This late Jurassic dinosaur is a link between the meat-eating carnivores dinosaurs and plant-eating herbivores dinosaurs. It is classified as an extraordinary tetanuran theropod that is a strange amalgamation of theropod, sauropodomorph, and Ornithischian. The discovery of Chilesaurus plays a crucial role in the history of the evolution of dinosaurs. Some of its typical features may include its pelvic structure that is similar to the Ornithischian. Their strong arms, extended claws, and stocky legs are very similar to that of sauropodomorph.

What species of Chilesaurus are there?

The genus Chilesaurus contains only one species, the Chilesaurus diegosuarezi. The name of the species Chilesaurus diegosuarezi is named after the seven years old boy who discovered it in Chile. It is small-sized compared to other dinosaurs, its head resembles that of meat-eating dinosaurs but its teeth are of herbivores.

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 Machairoceratops fun facts and Utahraptor facts pages.

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

*The first image is by Arcovenator.

*The second image is by Kumiko.