Fun Efraasia Facts For Kids

The Efraasia was a genus of prehistoric animals belonging to the upper Triassic of Germany and a few other states of Europe. While Peter Galton coined the name of the type species, Efraasia minor honors the geologist and paleontologist, Eberhard Fraas.

It was discovered and documented to have several synonyms: Teratosaurus minor and Thecodontosaurus diagnosticus.

Other species from the genus recorded are the Palaeosauriscus diagnosticus, the Sellosaurus fraasi, the Sellosaurus fraasi, the Efraasia diagnostica, and the Teratosaurus minor. Though the Teratosaurus was proposed by Friedrich Von Huene, Adam Yates coined the synonym Plateosaurus gracilis for the binomial name of its subspecies.

The first specimens were uncovered by the Albert Burrer in 1902 in Germany.

Fossils comprising a few vertebrae, a hip bone, a pubic bone, and the right hindlimb were unearthed from the Löwenstein formation. The species taxonomy and anatomy of these Sauropodomorphs were based on the study of specimens uncovered, and reports and studies were further modified by Adam Yates in 2003.

If the uniqueness of the Efraasia makes you interested in reading more about similar species, you can read about the Abrosaurus and the Panphagia.

Efraasia Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Efraasia'?

The generic name, Efraasia (Galton, 1973), is pronounced as 'e-frahs-ee-a', meaning 'Fraas' one'. The species taxonomy of the genus was formerly classified as the Sellosaurus fraasi, the Sellosaurus gracilis, the Teratosaurus minor, and the Palaeosauriscus diagnosticus, while the Efraasia minor is now the only type species of the genus having synonyms Teratosaurus minor, Efraasia diagnostica, and Thecodontosaurus diagnosticus.

The binomial name of type species, Efraasia minor, honors Eberhard Fraas, a German paleontologist who uncovered type specimens of the prehistoric animal.

What type of dinosaur was an Efraasia?

The Efraasia (Galton, 1973) is the generic name of the species of Sauropodomorphs. The taxonomic classification of the prehistoric animal is complicated between genera and subspecies as paleontologists like Adam Yates were known to alter data specifying the taxon of the species.

Formerly considered a Theropod, it is was later classified as a Sauropodomorph.

The genus was formerly known to have the Sellosaurus fraasi, the Sellosaurus gracilis, the Teratosaurus minor, and the Palaeosauriscus diagnosticus as its subspecies; now it has only one type species, Efraasia minor.

While Efraasia is the junior synonym to the Sellosaurus gracilis, a member of Sauropodomorphs, the subspecies were reported to have various synonymous names including Teratosaurus minor, Efraasia diagnostica, and Thecodontosaurus diagnosticus. It belongs to the classification Reptilia, Saurischia specifically.

In which geological period did the Efraasia roam the Earth?

The Efraasia lived during the Norian age of the upper Triassic epoch around 210 million years ago.

When did the Efraasia become extinct?

The Efraasia, living during the upper Triassic of Germany, was speculated to have become extinct by the Rhaetian stage of the late Triassic epoch.

Where did the Efraasia live?

Fossils of the Sauropodomorph unearthed from the Löwenstein formation were studied and from fossils, the Efraasia was documented to have lived in the late Triassic of Germany and neighboring states.

What was the Efraasia's habitat?

Though not much can be deciphered from fossil remains discovered from the Löwenstein formation, the habitat of these dinosaurs was assumed to be grasslands, forests, deserts, beaches, woodlands, wetlands, and areas with plentiful vegetation.

Although the Efraasia minor, the Efraasia diagnostica, the Thecodontosaurus diagnosticus, or the Sellosaurus gracilis was known to reside around China, the favorable habitat of these Sauropodomorph dinosaurs remains questionable.

Who did an Efraasia live with?

While many herbivore dinosaurs were found to live in a group, meat eaters often led a solitary life or hunted in packs, and juveniles were considered social animals. The Efraasia, in particular, is believed to have lived in a pair or group.

The dinosaur was identified to have several predators, thus, it was speculated to often fight off predators in packs. It was known to live at a distance from its predators. Whether the Prosauropod dinosaur lived in pairs, groups or solitarily remains a conundrum.

How long did an Efraasia live?

A dinosaur was known as one of the longest-living animals with a substantial life span ranging from 70-80 years. The life span of the Efraasia, a wildlife creature from the prehistoric era, is unknown.

How did they reproduce?

The reproductive behavior of the Prosauropod dinosaur that lived in the upper Triassic of Germany, in general, was oviparous which meant it laid amniotic eggs in nests. This dinosaur built nests in cups, domes, burrows, mounds, bed scrapes, and plates.

While the female laid eggs, the male dinosaur was primarily known to incubate eggs. Females also grew a medullary bone rich in calcium to make eggshells while laying eggs. The evidence of this bone helped paleontologists to determine the sex of the fossil specimen.

Efraasia Fun Facts

What did the Efraasia look like?

While anatomy is known to study the structure of the body, osteology plays a prominent role in deciphering the appearance of the prehistoric species based on fragmentary fossils uncovered.

Fossils were first found by Eberhard Fraas which primarily comprised the partial skull, a few vertebrae, a hip bone, a pubic bone, forelimb bones (ulna and radius), and the right hindlimb.

While the shape of its wrists showed the Efraasia to be a quadrupedal, it was also considered a bipedal.

Thus, the movement of the prehistoric animal remains questionable. The head was comparatively small, while the neck was long and thin.

How many bones did an Efraasia have?

Since fossils uncovered were fragmentary, the Efraasia skull, a few vertebrae, the hip bone, the pubic bone, forelimb bones (ulna and radius), and the right hindlimb were the only parts of a fossil specimen discovered and documented. Thus, the anatomy and estimated number of bones cannot be fully determined.

How did they communicate?

With the evolution of time, the dinosaur inherited both visual and vocal methods of communication. It communicated by clapping its jaws together, hissing, rubbing its scales together, grinding its mandibles against the upper jaws, or using various environmental materials like splashing the water.

The Efraasia living in the upper Triassic of Germany was thought to have adopted similar techniques to communicate with each other; however, no reports have confirmed this.

How big was an Efraasia?

The Efraasia was known to have a small size when compared to the majority of the species falling under the taxon classification of the clade Dinosauria. While the height is not recorded, the length ranged between 6.5-23 ft (2-7 m).

In comparison, the size of the Efraasia is almost similar to the Thecodontosaurus, while is more than 10 times smaller than the size of an Argentinosaurus as its length varies up to 130 ft (39.6 m).

How fast could an Efraasia move?

While some dinosaurs walked on four legs, others had the ability to walk on two legs. Also, some were thought to fly as juveniles and were capable of flying right after their birth.

Some dinosaurs often inhabited semi-aquatic habitats, and some were found in terrestrial habitats using their four legs to move. Sauropodomorph dinosaurs were bipedal, but the speed of these prehistoric animals is unrecorded.

How much did an Efraasia weigh?

The weight of the Efraasia ranges from 661.3-1,323 lb (300-600 kg). It was quite heavy for its length. The weight of an Efraasia was quite negligible if compared to the weight of an Argentinosaurus, while, on the contrary, it weighed several times more than that of the Compsognathus.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Male and female dinosaurs do not have specific binomial names reflecting the sex. However, often, the female was known as saura, and the male can be called a saurus.

What would you call a baby Efraasia?

Baby dinosaurs were often called chicks, juveniles, or hatchlings, though a baby Efraasia does not have any specific binomial name.

What did they eat?

The Efraasia, living during the late Triassic period, was an herbivore, but the specific diet of the species is not recorded. It was thought to have fed upon leaves, fruits, roots, and flowers of flowering plants such as ginkgos, horsetails, and conifers.

How aggressive were they?

Although the behavior of the prehistoric species remains questionable, it was not known to have an aggressive temperament until threatened.

Did you know...

Fossils were first discovered by Eberhard Fraas, while it was named and documented by an American paleontologist, Peter Galton, in 1973. The genus is known to have several synonyms and alterations within its taxon.

What does 'Efraasia' mean?

The generic name Efraasia is not known to have any specific meaning as it honors Eberhard Fraas who discovered the type specimen of fossil of the species. Often the meaning of the generic name is speculated as 'Fraas' one'. Friedrich Von Huene was known to coin the synonymous name of the genus, the Teratosaurus.

How strong were their teeth?

According to the Efraasia's anatomy, there were four teeth along its upper jaw, but the strength of the teeth remains a conundrum. Though it was an herbivorous animal, primarily a plant-eater, it was believed to have very strong teeth.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Analong facts and Isanosaurus facts for kids.

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

Main/Hero image- Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com)

Second image- Wolfgang Sauber

*We've been unable to source an image of an Efraasia and have used an image of the Teratosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of an Efraasia, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.