Fun Eocursor Facts For Kids

Commonly known as the dawn runner, the Eocursor is a primitive genus of ornithischian dinosaurs that were found in the Early Jurassic Age which spanned from 201.3-174.1 million years ago. The epoch begins immediately after the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event. During that period, the dinosaur must have roamed several parts of the African continent.

The word Eocursor is a combination of two words, eos, and cursor. The word eos generally means the deity of dawn in Greek mythology while the word cursor means runner in Latin.

Fossils have been discovered from the Upper Elliot Formation, South Africa which suggests that the dinosaur was one of the early members of the Ornithischia order, the fossils also provide details about the early evolution.

The remains also interpreted that the dinosaur lived during the Late Triassic Period around 210 million years ago but this notion was rejected lately. In 1993, the discovery of the fossils took place but it took around 14 years to formally describe the dinosaur.

A group of paleontologists which consisted of Richard J. Buttler, David B. Norman, and Roger Smith described the type species, Eocursor parvus in 2008.

It was a small bipedal dinosaur while an average length was around 3 ft (1 m), the average weight is said to be around 44.09-55.11 lb (20-25 kg). The dinosaur highly resembled other Early Jurassic Ornithischia species such as Scutellosaurus and Lesothosaurus.

The large hands of the species were very much similar to those of Heterodontosauridae, a group of primitive ornithischians.

The structure of the triangular teeth suggests that the species must have been an omnivore. While talking about the leg bones, the legs were short while the shinbone was quite longer than the thighbone, suggesting the dinosaur was a swift runner.

Let's read more fun facts about the Eocursor, and if you find this article interesting, don't forget to check out exciting facts about different animals like Notoceratops and Marginocephalians.

Eocursor Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Eocursor'?

The Eocursor pronunciation of the term does seem quite tough for kids but you just have to know a simple trick to pronounce every word perfectly. You just have to divide the term into several syllables like 'e-oh-cur-sor.'

The word Eocursor is a combination of two words, eos, and cursor. The word eos generally means the deity of dawn in Greek mythology while the word cursor means runner in Latin.

What type of dinosaur was an Eocursor?

The Eocursor parvus belonged to the class of Reptilia, the order of Ornithischia, and the Eucursor genus. In 2008, the type species, Eocursor parvus, was described by paleontologists such as Richard J. Buttler, David B. Norman, and Roger Smith.

In which geological period did the Eocursor roam the Earth?

These dinosaurs belonged to the Early Jurassic Age which spanned from 201.3- 174.1 million years ago, the epoch starts begins immediately after the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event. The remains also interpreted that the dinosaur lived during the Late Triassic period around 210 million years ago but this notion was rejected lately.

When did the Eocursor become extinct?

The exact year of extinction is not known as of now but it is said that the extinction must have taken place in the Hettangian period. The reason for extinction is not clear as of now but dinosaurs became extinct due to several reasons such as climate change, volcanic eruption, asteroid impact, drought, and many more.

Competition among dinosaurs can also be regarded as one of the major causes of extinction.

Where did Eocursor live?

In 1993, the remains were discovered in the Upper Elliot Formation, currently a part of the Free State Province of South Africa. The fossils were discovered by paleontologists of the Natural History Museum, the University of Cambridge, the Iziko South African Museum. It is also said that these dinosaurs must have lived in several countries of Africa.

What was the Eocursor's habitat?

The fossils suggest that these dinosaurs mainly inhabited forested areas while other habitats would have been coastal areas, mountains, and grasslands.

Who did Eocursor live with?

Very little is known about the social behavior of these dinosaurs but the fossil suggests that the dinosaur must be living in groups or herds. It is also believed that these dinosaurs were carnivores while they must have hunted in packs. The group of several species of dinosaurs consisted of adults and juveniles.

How long did an Eocursor live?

The exact life span of the dawn runner has not been described by paleontologists but since the species is quite small, it can be said that it must have lived less than other big species.

How did they reproduce?

Like other species of the Early Jurassic period, the dinosaur reproduced by laying eggs. Also, the mating patterns were quite similar to modern-day reptiles and birds. The species also used to perform courtship displays to attract potential partners while it is also proven that males used to fight over females.

The clutch size is not known as of now the fossil suggests that the nesting site was in the vicinity of a lake. Also, adult dinosaurs must have taken care of the young ones.

Eocursor Fun Facts

What did Eocursor look like?

The primitive dinosaur was quite small and possessed a triangular head, short legs, and a long tail while the hands were quite big. The large hands of the species were very much similar to those of Heterodontosauridae, a group of primitive ornithischians.

The structure of the triangular teeth suggests that the species must have been an omnivore. While talking about the leg bones, the tibia was longer than the femur.

How many bones did an Eocursor have?

No information regarding the exact number of bones but the fossil was discovered in South Africa which consisted of a partial skull and three-sided teeth, the discovery of these remains took place in 1993. The vertebrae of the cervical were also found.

The discovery of several parts of the shoulder and forearm has been quite significant as it included the left scapula, parts of the radius, and right humerus, carpals, and metacarpals were also found.

A few parts of the hip joint like the ischia and right pubis were also present in the fossil. Several bones of the hind legs were also discovered which consisted of the right shinbone, right thighbone, and a few foot bones.

How did they communicate?

The Eocursor must have used similar communication methods as other dinosaurs. Like modern-day birds, the species used visual, tactile, and auditory cues that were used to communicate with each other, it must have possessed alarm calls to warn other members of the group. They also used several courtship displays to attract potential partners.

How big were the Eocursors?

While talking about the Eocursor size, the average length and weight of the dinosaur is said to be around 3 ft (1 m) and 44.09-55.11 lb (20-25 kg) respectively, the Eocursor height is not known as of now. The species was quite smaller than several Early Jurassic and Early Cretaceous dinosaurs like Aetonyx and Moabosaurus.

How fast could an Eocursor move?

The exact speed of the dinosaur is not known as of now the lean built must have helped for spriting at high speeds. With such speed, the creature must have caught a lot of prey and ran away from predators.

Also, the tibia was quite longer than the femur which indicates that it must have running at high speed and accelerating within a few seconds.

How much did an Eocursor weigh?

The average weight of the dinosaur was around 44.09-55.11 lb (20-25 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

No information regarding the male or female names has been gathered as of now; people generally call the dinosaur by the name, Eocursor parvus.

What would you call a baby Eocursor?

Like modern reptiles, the babies of Eocursor dinosaurs are known as hatchlings.

What did they eat?

Formerly, it was said that the dinosaur was an herbivore like other species of the Ornithischia clade but the fossils revealed that the dinosaur had triangular teeth which indicate it was a meat-eater too. The dinosaur must have preyed on fish, small mammals, eggs, and grasses.

How aggressive were they?

No information regarding the aggressive or violent nature of the dinosaur is available as of now. They generally roamed in herds and they may have attacked intruders while avoiding predation.

Did you know...

The Jurassic Period spanned from 201.3-145 million years ago.

Why are they called Eocursor?

The word Eocursor is a combination of two words, eos, and cursor. The word eos generally means the deity of dawn in Greek mythology while the word cursor means runner in Latin.

Who discovered Eocursor?

The dinosaur was discovered in 1993 but an international group of paleontologists which included Richard J. Buttler, David B. Norman, and Roger Smith described several facts about the species in detail.

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 Fulgurotherium facts and Zephyrosaurus facts for kids.

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura.

Second image by Levi Bernardo.