Fun Eodromaeus Facts For Kids

Eodromaeus was a dinosaur genus from the Late Triassic period, although, the discovery of the fossil remains was fairly recent. The holotype specimen, an almost complete but crushed skeleton, gives us an insight into the length, weight, and speed of the species.

Eodromaeus murphi is named by not one or two, but several paleontologists, namely, Paul Sereno and Oscar Alcober. The most striking feature of the dinosaur species is the fact that these animals had very sharp teeth, that assisted in their intensely carnivorous diet.

Although small in length and height, these animals were fairly deadly to the surrounding dinosaurs and mammals, since they were not only equipped with razor-like teeth, but also had the ability to run very fast. They lived in an environment full of diverse plant groups, Spermatophytes being one of the common ones.

Interestingly, the species is named after Jim Murphy, who used to work around the Ischigualasto formation, but instead of Eodromaeus murphy, the species is called Eodromaeus murphi!

How do you pronounce 'Eodromaeus'?

The name of these Theropod dinosaurs of the Triassic period of earth is pronounced as 'e-oh-droh-may-us'.

What type of dinosaur was an Eodromaeus?

Eodromaeus was a genus of Theropod dinosaurs. Their discovery has been made rather recently, although, a considerable amount of research has taken place, and hence, we know quite a bit about these basal Theropods of the Late Triassic period. The Eoraptor, on the other hand, belongs to a clade of early Sauropodomorphs and is a Late Triassic dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Eodromaeus roam the earth?

The Eodromaeus genus of Theropod dinosaurs, like Eoraptor, tread earth during the Late Triassic period. They are known to have been one of the earliest Theropod species to have ever existed. If you happen to be wondering how long ago that was, you will be surprised to know that these animals lived on earth as many as 230 million years ago!

It is hardly a matter of surprise that discovering this new species of Theropods was thrilling for the community of paleontologists like Paul, Sereno, Ricardo, Colombi, Alcober, and Currie.

When did the Eodromaeus become extinct?

While the exact timeline as to when these animals may have become extinct is not known to us, we do know that the Triassic period ended around 200 million years ago, which gives us a rough description of the period that this genus spent on earth.

Where did an Eodromaeus live?

The habitat of these Theropods, as estimated through the soil around the fossils, is estimated to have consisted of marshes or humid climatic regions such as woodlands or riverine forests. Facts and figures backed by science, as demonstrated by the skeleton that was found in the Ischigualasto formation, tell us that these animals would have lived through predation on the animals that were aplenty in these areas.

What was an Eodromaeus' habitat?

Since the fossils and specimens of the genus Eodeomaeus have only been found in the Ischigualasto formation, these animals are said to have been endemic to this area. This excavation site is located in present-day Argentina.

Who did an Eodromaeus live with?

It cannot be denied that science and technology have given us a lot of information about the 'dawn runner', however, the exact tendencies of this Theropod species of dinosaurs are yet to be discovered. However, it is also worthy to note that troodontids, especially those that were smaller in comparison with the larger carnivores, preferred to live in small or large packs in order to mate and avoid being easily preyed upon!

How long did an Eodromaeus live?

The average lifespan of the genus is not known, neither do we know how long this new species tread the earth. The fact that this is considered to be a basal Theropod genus tells us that these animals probably went through a lot of mutations in the course of evolution and that the fossils of the latter mutations would be classified differently.

How did they reproduce?

It is known that dinosaurs were oviparous. This means that this new species of Theropod dinosaurs, too, reproduced by laying eggs. We are yet to know if one of the earliest Theropod dinosaurs had any courting habits or nesting patterns.

What did an Eodromaeus look like?

Fortunately, almost an entire skeleton of the Eodromaeus was found from the Ischigualasto Formation in Argentina. The discovery of these fossils allowed paleontologists to be able to not only estimate the skull to tail length of this dinosaur genus but also enabled the conclusion that they were carnivorous. These animals are characterized by short forelimbs, since the species is bipedal, has sharp teeth, and strong hindlimbs.

How many bones did an Eodromaeus have?

Since the entire skeletal figure of the Eodromaeus murphi (Paul, Sereno, Colombi, Ricardo, Currie, and Alcober) or 'dawn runner' is yet to be discovered, the total number of bones that these Theropods had is not clearly understood.

How did they communicate?

Theropods are known to have communicated through harsh calls that may have been very loud, considering the small size of the class. The dawn runner, too, is estimated to have had a sharp call, which would not only help in communicating with friends but also in intimidating smaller animals of the Triassic period.

How big was an Eodromaeus?

The Eodromaeus is known to have been a small-sized dinosaur genus. Dinosaurs of this genus would have a length of around 3.9 ft (1.2 m) from skull to tail, which is at par with the description of the group as a whole.

How fast could an Eodromaeus move?

While the dawn runner may not have been the fastest runner in the range of dinosaur species that have been discovered, due to their strong and heavy hindlimbs, it is estimated that they could run at around 19 mph (30 kph)!

How much did an Eodromaeus weigh?

The average weight of a dinosaur of this genus is estimated to have been around 11 lb (5 kg). It is hardly a concealed fact that the dawn runner from Argentina belonged to a group of rather light-weighted animals. Their light skeleton is also a testimony of the same fact.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Since science and paleontologists do not give us distinct names for the dawn runner species from Argentina, we have resorted to referring to them as the male Eodromaeus and female Eodromaeus respectively.

What would you call a baby Eodromaeus?

Since almost also known dinosaur skeleton remains tell us that they were oviparous, the baby Eodromaeus would be called a hatchling!

What did they eat?

This dinosaur species is classified as one of the earliest Theropods to have been discovered and as a rule, Theropod dinosaurs are known to be carnivorous. The Eodromaeus would feed on small dinosaurs, dinosaur eggs, and small mammals since science is evidence of the fact that this genus had extremely sharp teeth!

How aggressive were they?

The skeleton of this animal, the length and weight hardly suffice as enough evidence for making an estimate for the nature of these animals. However, since they were carnivorous, a certain level of threat can be assumed.

Did you know...

The name of this dinosaur species was given by many paleontologists, namely, Sereno, Paul, Colombi, Alcober, Currie, and Ricardo!

How did the Eoraptor move?

An Eoraptor, like an Eodromaeus, would run on its hindlimbs! The fore-limbs were mostly used for catching small prey.

What does the term Eodromaeus mean?

The discovery of this genus and further research suggested that these animals led to the dawn of the dinosaur era and hence, the name is an adaption to the same. The name is formed of two Greek words. 'Eos' means dawn, and 'dromaeus' means a runner. Hence, the name of this dinosaur genus literally translates to 'dawn runner'.

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 dinosaur baby coloring pages.

Main image by Gonce and second image by Ezequielvera.