Fun Fabrosaurus Facts For Kids

Fabrosaurus is a genus of an extinct dinosaur found in the Early Jurassic and Late Triassic periods. The dinosaur species was earlier a part of the family Fabrosauridae, a family which is now obsolete.

The Fabrosaurus was given to the genus by paleontologist Leonard Ginsburg in the year 1964 when a specimen with a partial jawbone with three teeth was found.

The genus was named after Jean Fabre, a French geologist and a colleague of Leonard Ginsburg who went on the expedition that led to the fossil in Basutoland.

The area is presently known as Lesotho. The species called f. australis is known after the area where the fossil was first found by Leonard Ginsburg and Jean Fabre in the Elliot Formation, Lesotho, Southern Africa.

The word australis stands for southern in Latin. With respect to the only fossil known of the type species F. australis of South Africa from the early Jurassic and late Triassic period, only a partial jaw bone with three teeth has been found.

Scientists now believe the dinosaur of the Jurassic era might even be similar to Lesothosaurus.

The meaning of the word Fabrosaurus is 'Fabre's Lizard', named after the discoverer of the fossils of the genus (Jean Fabre, French geologist). This genus was placed early in the family Scelidosauridae by Leonard Ginsburg in 1964.

But studying the fossils and remains have now put the genus Fabrosaurus as a basal ornithopod. A member of the order Ornithischia and phylum Chordata, Fabrosaurus is considered one of the earliest recorded ornithischian dinosaurs.

The fossils found in Southern Africa by French Jean Fabre and colleague Ginsburg prove that the dinosaur possessed a predentary bone at the tip of its lower jaw.

The teeth of the Fabrosaurus dinosaur were small and pointed. These teeth were used to grind plant material, which is the main diet of the dinosaur.

For more relatable content, check out these Sphaerotholus facts and Panoplosaurus fun facts for kids.

Fabrosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Fabrosaurus'?

The pronunciation of Fabrosaurus is 'Fab-roh-sawr-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Fabrosaurus?

Fabrosaurus is a genus of dinosaurs in the order Ornithischia in the Chordata phylum of the kingdom of Animalia. This is a ground-dwelling herbivore species of dinosaur whose few remains were found in the Elliot Formation, Lesotho, South Africa.

In which geological period did the Fabrosaurus roam the earth?

The Fabrosaurus australis was known to roam the earth's soil in the early Jurassic-late Triassic period. Not much is know due to incomplete fossils of the species (only a part of the jaw). Although many different specimens have been found, there's no concrete single full skeleton of the dinosaur.

When did the Fabrosaurus become extinct?

The species is known to have become extinct some 196-208 million years ago.

Where did a Fabrosaurus live?

These dinosaurs were probably living early in the Jurassic era of present-day South Africa. The first fossil (partial jaw bone with three teeth) was found by Jean Favre and Ginsburg in 1964. This is the reason the species was named Fabrosaurus (meaning - Fabre's Lizard).

What was a Fabrosaurus's habitat?

Fabrosaurus lived in a terrestrial habitat and was a hardcore herbivore. The habitat of the species in the early days included wooded areas interspersed with lakes and rivers.

Who did a Fabrosaurus live with?

This information is not available as so little is known from the fossils that they might be the most unknown species of the phylum Chordata in the animal kingdom.

However, it is speculated that the dinosaurs would have lived in herds to protect themselves from predators.

How long did a Fabrosaurus live?

The life span of the dinosaur is not known. Not much information is available on the species currently due to incomplete specimens.

How did they reproduce?

According to scientists, this is an egg-laying species and reproduction is oviparous. No more information is available on the reproduction of these dinosaurs.

Fabrosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Fabrosaurus look like?

Only a partial jaw bone with three teeth was found in the first expedition made by Favre and Ginsburg. After that, more specimens with two crushed skulls and disarticulated post-cranial bones (which includes vertebrae, ribs, and limb bones) were found.

This helped in a partially complete reconstruction of the dinosaur. Further research found additional ornithischian fossils which indicated that physical features were similar to Lesothosaurus. Most authors in the 1990s and 2000s found Fabrosaurus to be nomen dubium.

Fabrosaurus was around 3.3 ft (1 m) long and around 2 ft (0.6 m) tall. Longs were found to be long enough to run and escape from predators. The hands were powerful and had five fingers with small claws.

They were adapted for grasping. It was a small plant-eater that lived in the early part of the South African Jurassic period. It was considered a thin dinosaur with the skull smaller than the rest of the body. The jaw was angular like a beak.

The teeth were pointed to help tear leaves and plants. The forearms were probably short. It had a long tail.

How many bones did a Fabrosaurus have?

The number of bones is not known as only a few specimens have been found of the early Jurassic species.

How did they communicate?

Communication was probably by touch, or chemically.

How big was a Fabrosaurus?

The length is estimated to be up to 3 ft (1 m).

The height is estimated to be up to 1 ft (0.3 m).

How fast could a Fabrosaurus move?

The speed is not known. However, the long legs would have made them quick enough to run and hide from predators. Also, the long tail helped them balance while running fast.

How much did a Fabrosaurus weigh?

Fabrosaurus is known only from fragmentary remains of its head, vertebrae, and limb bones. Based on these fossils, scientists have estimated that the weight of this dinosaur would have been between 33-55lb (15-25 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There is no information on the different names for males and females of the species.

What would you call a baby Fabrosaurus?

No information is available.

What did they eat?

The main diet of the Fabrosaurus consisted of plants and other vegetation. It probably would be low-lying plants due to the small stature of the species.

How aggressive were they?

No information is available on this.

Did you know...

Not much is known of the Fabrosaurus dinosaur of South Africa as only a portion of a jaw has been found among the fossils and remains.

This discovery made by French geologist Jean Fabre and his colleague Leonard Ginsburg is not enough to give the dinosaur a new taxon as it shares a lot of similarities with the established taxon Lesothosaurus.

The fossil found had a skull with fragments of the maxilla and mandible. A few teeth were also found on the bones of the jaw.

Did Fabrosaurus exist in Jurassic period?

Fabrosaurus dinosaur is known to have been living in the early Jurassic and late Triassic period.

Where was Fabrosaurus originally placed?

After the fossils were discovered of the Favre's Lizard, the dinosaur was first placed within the Scelidosauridae family. However, further studies on the fossils placed it as a basal ornithopod. Many researchers believe that Fabrosaurus is the same as the Lesothosaurus.  

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 Fabrosaurus coloring pages.

*Please note that the main image is of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. If you find an image of a Fabrosaurus, please let us know at hello@kidadl.com