Fun Nanosaurus Facts For Kids

Nanosaurus was a dinosaur and is pronounced Nah-noe-sore-us. Nanosaurus is known by its scientific name Nanosaurus agilis. Nanosaurus (Nanosaurus agilis) was one of the smaller dinosaurs. They were about 6.6. ft (2 m) tall on site.

Nanosaurus (Nanosaurus agilis) was found in the USA, North America, Colorado, and Utah. Nanosaurus (Nanosaurus agilis) are herbivorous and consumed a plant-based diet. Nanosaurus lived 155 million years ago. Nanosaurus agilis lived in the late Jurassic time period.

Nanosaurus is also known as a small or dwarf lizard. Most of the Nanosaurus fossils have been found in Colorado and parts of Wyoming. Nanosaurus agilis fossils have been found in Colorado.

Othniel Charles Marsh began work on the great dinosaurs and he even researched the Nanosaurus in 1877. They named three species along with the same name however, the second was separated by genus a year later.

The study conducted on these species was a major development in the study of dinosaurs in the world. The partial skeleton of these species was found by Lucas in Garden Park. Nanosaurus agilis is a valid species.

For more relatable content, check out these Eosinopteryx and Mercuriceratops facts.

Nanosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Nanosaurus'?

Nanosaurus is pronounced 'Nah-noe-sore-us'. The term nano stands for small or dwarf Lizard.

What type of dinosaur was a Nanosaurus?

Nanosaurus is a type of dinosaur classification and it is a type of theropod dinosaur. They are closely related to Othnelia. They are known by their common name Nanosaurus rex and three species have been named the same.

In which geological period did the Nanosaurus roam the earth?

They roamed the earth pre-Jurassic period. They lived for about 150 million years ago and are extinct species. They belong to the family Nanosauridae and genus Nanosaurus.

When did the Nanosaurus become extinct?

Marsh in 1877 named two species of Nanosaurus. They belong to the pre-Jurassic period. Most dinosaur species became extinct about 65 million years ago, which was at the end of the Cretaceous period.

Where did a Nanosaurus live?

Nanosaurus lived in swamps, rivers, streams, swamps, or lakes. They were seen in the USA, North America, Colorado, and Utah. They belong to the genus Nanosaurus.

What was a Nanosaurus's habitat?

Nanosaurus habitat constitutes open areas, swamps, rivers, streams, swamps, or lakes in the late Jurassic period. They were herbivores and fed on plant-based food, hence they lived close to vegetation.

Who did a Nanosaurus live with?

Nanosaurus lived with other species of their own kind. During breeding, these Jurassic dinosaurs would take care of the young until they are independent.

How long did a Nanosaurus live?

The Nanosaurus exact lifespan has not been evaluated. Nanosaurus rex lived through the late Jurassic age.

How did they reproduce?

Nanosaurus reproduce via sexual reproduction. Males and females come together for mating. Males release sperm into the females and females lay fertilized eggs containing dinosaur embryos. The embryos laid are protected by the parents until they are developed.

Nanosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Nanosaurus look like?

Nanosaurus skull was among the first things to be discovered. Nanosaurus is a small dinosaur with short forelimbs and long hindlimbs. The hands were short with strong fingers. They have small leaf-shaped cheek teeth.

They have a small face with two dark eyes. Their legs are longer as compared to the rest of their body. The species from the late Jurassic period have premaxillary teeth with less ornamentation. They belong to the genus Nanosaurus.

How many bones did a Nanosaurus have?

Nanodaurus is a theropod dinosaur whose bones structure/skeleton had been discovered by scientists through their remains assembled together. The partial skeleton/remains were found by Lucas in Morrison formation, Garden Park.

This is the only specimen of this species. The skull and teeth of the Nanosaurus are nearly six feet (72 in) and shaped like a crocodilian. They have conical unserrated teeth with raised nostrils.

Apart from this, they have a long spine bones and different parts of their body attached to the same and their body ends with a tail.

After their skull, teeth and jawbones come to their long neck structure followed by their forelimbs, which are short in length, and then their ribcage which protects their internal organs ended by their hip bone and their legs and foot on which they walk and gain balance.

Their legs and hip bone is followed by a long and thin tail bone structure which seems like a continuation of their spine.

How did they communicate?

They communicate via both visual and vocal means. Their major means of communication is through their body language. They also occasionally engaged in fights since they were territorial beings.

How big was a Nanosaurus?

Nanosaurus is 6.6 ft (2 m) in height which is five times bigger than the smallest theropod, which is the troodontid Anchiornis huxleyi at 1 ft (30.5 cm).

How fast could a Nanosaurus move?

Nanosaurus exact moving speed is not known however they are capable of covering large distances without much difficulty.

How much did a Nanosaurus weigh?

Nanosaurus weigh 22 lb (10 kg). They are small in size and hence their weight is regulated. Most reconstructions of the Nanosaurus are based on related beings. Othnielia resembled Hypsilophodon where they made use of a carpenter to put pieces together and create an installation that resembled an Othnielia which resembled Hypsilophodon.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females are not addressed differently. Males and females are similar in appearance however, they do differ in reproductive functions.

What would you call a baby Nanosaurus?

Dinosaurs hatch from eggs. These baby dinosaurs can be called hatchlings. The young were dependent on their parents in their initial stages of life.

What did they eat?

Nanosaurus rex was largely an omnivore and fed on small insects and animals available within its habitat range. They were predominantly herbivorous in nature and fed a plant-based diet.

How aggressive were they?

They are not aggressive unless they were put in the position of threat in which instance they did what was necessary to protect themselves.

Did you know...

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a park located in Alberta. The park contains some of the most important dinosaur fossil discoveries as described to date. Some fossils date back to 75 million years ago and other related time periods.

A study in the year 2008 found that children develop increased knowledge, and attention span, if they have what scientists call sustained intense interests in dinosaurs.

How did the Nanosaurus get its name?

Nanosaurus stands for small or dwarf lizard. Nanosaurus belong to the genus neornithischian dinosaur. This specimen was first researched in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh. They named three species along with the same name however, the second was separated by genus a year later. Marsh gained popularity through his findings.

What fossils of Nanosaurus were found?

Marsh named two species Nanosaurus based on the partial fossil remains from the Morrison formation of Garden park, Colorado in 1877. Nanosaurus belong to the genus neornithischian. This occurred primarily because fossil remains found of the first two species shared striking similarities and needed further research on the fossils to discover further classification.

A third species was discovered through fossil bones by Marsh in the year 1894. Nanosaurus agilis is a valid species.

The fossil representation was made upon partial dentary fragmentary remains of the skull and their postcranial skeleton. Benjamin Mudge was one such assistant to Marsh. Mudge was Marsh's employee and assisted him with his findings.

Peter M. Galton was one such pioneer in the same study alongside Marsh and suggested Nanosaurus agilis be a basal ornithopod. The basal ornithopod is now recognized as Nanosaurus. Ornithopod primarily refers to a group of plant-eating dinosaurs.

Nanosaurus ornithopod feeds on insects and small animals occasionally but in rare instances. The three species categorized as Nanosaurus under the Ornithopod family utilize synonyms of the same. Currently, they are considered a basal member of Neornithischia.

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 Aardonyx facts, or Aquilops facts for kids.

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

Second photo by Jens Lallensack

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