Fun Silesaurus Facts For Kids

Around 230 million years ago during the Late Triassic of Poland, a genus-species of slesaurid dinosaurs started dinosaur history as they were some of the earliest dinosaurs. Places such as Keuper claystone are known widely for the fossils of dinosauriform.

The name of this herbivorous archosaur comes from its origin name, Silesia in Poland. Jerzy Dzik was the first to describe these dinosaurs in 2003.

Since then, we have around 20 skeletons of these dinosaurs. They come from the silesauridae family which can be also known as their clade.

The silesauridae is also known to be the clade for the non-dinosaur dinosauriform. This is also known as the sister group of dinosaurs, although when we go further into it, content is available about silesaurids being from the early clade which were formed at that time.

It is only after the systematic position of this dinosaur that other related species such as the Sacisaurus and Eucoelophysis came into knowledge. Their classification is also very tricky as many researchers argue that this species from silesia is not a dinosaur at all, rather a dinosauriform.

The Ischigualastto formation and Chinle formation are known to be the time this dinosauromorph roamed, according to Krasiejów.

To learn more about such amazing animals, make sure to check out our articles on Allosaurus and Pterorhynchus.

Silesaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Silesaurus'?

Like many other researchers, Ezcurra is someone who should be thanked for the research on this dinosaur and was an enormous help in the discovery of this vertebrate. The Silesaurus is from the early late Triassic period.

There is a continuous speculation whether they are a part of the dinosaurian group. Scientists such as Piechowski argue that they are dinosauromorphs from places such as Europe and New Mexico.

Nonetheless, it's very easy to pronounce this dinosaur. It is pronounced like 'SILE-saurus' and they got the name because they are from Silesia.

What type of dinosaur was a Silesaurus?

The complete systematic position of Silesaurus reveals that they are a species of Silesaurus opolensis They are early dinosaurs from the late Triassic period. Later dinosaurs are the result of evolution in the Silesaurus. This dinosaur is a from the community ornithischians due to their basal link, which also suggests that they can be sauropodomorphs also.

In which geological period did the Silesaurus roam the earth?

There are plenty of reasons why this dinosaur from the Late Triassic of Poland is known to be a dinosauromorpha. The different range of features such as their crest and their cervical vertebrae is the reason why this dinosaur is not yet known as a dinosaur.

The Silesaurus is from the late Triassic period and they lived around 230 million years ago.

When did the Silesaurus become extinct?

The reason for the extinction of dinosaurs is believed to be due to asteroid collisions and other such natural disasters.

Where did a Silesaurus live?

The fossil remains of these dinosaurs are found in places such as Poland, Europe, and even New Mexico. A range of content is available regarding the habitat of this herbivorous archosaur. Their fossil and body remains point towards places such as claystone and silesia of Poland. There is ongoing research on this.

What was a Silesaurus's habitat?

This community of dinosaurs has very few features that are like the dinosaurian community, one of them is the femoral head, although they also walk on two legs like many other species of dinosaurs. The habitat of the silesauridae group can be subtropical, swampland, and places with good fern vegetables.

Who did a Silesaurus live with?

During the late Triassic of Poland, this early vertebrate with a larger size compared to others and features such as sharp nails and teeth would win. It is safe to assume that this dinosauromorpha community lived in packs. The evolution of these into current day animals can be seen clearly, such as peacocks and crocodiles.

How long did a Silesaurus live?

Research by Ezcurra reveals that these ornithischians can live for around 16-18 years. Many silesauridae from the early late Triassic are known to have this life span.

How did they reproduce?

The reproductive habits of this herbivorous archosaur are like current-day reptiles. In the early late Triassic period, they would reproduce by laying eggs and then provide parental care to their young. The research on their reproduction reveals similar information.

Silesaurus Fun Facts

What did a Silesaurus look like?

A Silesaurus is around 90 in (2.3 m) in length and they were very light weight. They are also known as the beaked archosaur because they are assumed to have a beak. Their fossil reveals a basal link between sauropodomorphs.

They walked on four legs and had a femoral head, leading to confusion about their classification as dinosauromorpha. Their fossil was discovered to have conical teeth which were irregularly distributed across the jaw. The tip of their dentary had no teeth.

How many bones did a Silesaurus have?

This genus from Europe had a bone surface on their ilium. This played the role of an attachment site for the tail. The total number of bones is not known.

How did they communicate?

This genus from Europe communicated through various means. The means of communication between dinosaur families is almost common. Every dinosaur species communicated either through vocal calls, tail movement, or visual signs. Some used different means but these are the most common. The same were used by the Silesaurus as well.

How big was a Silesaurus?

They had a good length and size, but they were still smaller than some birds from today's time. A Silesaurus was a little smaller than a full-grown ostrich and twice as big as a sea lion.

How fast could a Silesaurus move?

They moved very fast. They had a long tail which helped to achieve the desired momentum. Their forelimbs made them some of the fasted running bipedal species. This is also the reason why they were able to survive, as their speed could easily save them from heavy and slow predators.

How much did a Silesaurus weigh?

The weight was significantly less compared to their size. Although their size was 7.5 ft (2.3 m), they only weighed around 88 lb (40 kg). They were very lightly built creatures, which was an asset as it helped them to run faster.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Both males and females are under the same classifications are addressed with the same name. They had the same anatomy and there is no need for a different names.

What would you call a baby Silesaurus?

A baby Silesaurus can be called a hatchling or a nestling. Nestlings are babies that live in the nest, while hatchlings are just-hatched babies.

What did they eat?

They were herbivorous and had a diet of plants and fruits. Their diet also included fruits. The research done of their fossil first suggested that they were bipedal with a herbivorous diet but later it was determined that they also ate insects. Nonetheless, some scientists still consider them strictly herbivorous.

How aggressive were they?

They are not known to be under the classification of aggressive species.

Did you know...

They had an overlap at the astragalus and the tibia, showing their dinosaurian characteristics. The overlap was present in the ascending process.

They lived in hot and humid climate conditions.

When was the Silesaurus described?

They were first described in 2003. They existed around some 230 million years ago during the Late Triassic time.

What do you mean by Silesaurus?

This dinosaur is named after the place they were first discovered in. Their history stretches all the way from Silesia to New Mexico to Europe.  

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 Trinacromerum facts and Mantellisaurus fun facts for kids.

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

Main image by Shalom

Second image by Shalom