Fun Staurikosaurus Facts For Kids

Iram Ashfaq
Nov 29, 2022 By Iram Ashfaq
Originally Published on Sep 14, 2021
Edited by Katherine Cook
Discover the most amazing 21 Staurikosaurus facts you will always remember.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 6.5 Min

The Staurikosaurus dinosaur is one of the most fascinating and earliest dinosaurs of all time!

The Staurikosaurus was a theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Brazil, South America during the Late Triassic period. One of its most interesting features were bony blades found on each vertebra, which may have been used for display and defense purposes or to release sexual pheromones into the air currents.

These are just some of the many unique attributes this species had when compared with other earliest dinosaurs living at around similar times.

It's likely these factors helped shape the Staurikosaurus as one-of-a-kind within their ecosystem!

The Staurikosaurus's most interesting feature was its two-fingered hands which were each equipped with a sharp claw that could be used for hunting and defense.

Researchers have also found evidence of the Staurikosaurus pricei being an herbivore because they once thought the teeth in their mouths resembled those of plant-eaters, but further research has shown this not to be true.

Did you know that the Staurikosaurus, one of the many earliest dinosaurs known for having been smaller than we tend to think they were (the biggest ones could be no longer than modern-day giraffes), had a small head on its almost non-existent neck?

From their fossils, we can see the Staurikosaurus often walked around with its head down, eating food from the ground as they moved along slowly through forests of tall ferns during prehistoric times!

Discover more enthralling facts about Brontosaurus and Dacentrurus from our facts for kids!

Staurikosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Staurikosaurus'?

We are not quite sure what the correct pronunciation of Staurikosaurus is. Some people say it like 'Stah-ree-coh-saw-rus' and some people go with '-Sore-' or even '-Shor.'

What type of dinosaur was a Staurikosaurus?

Researchers believe that the Staurikosaurus dinosaur was a herrerasaurid dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Staurikosaurus roam the earth?

The Staurikosaurus is one of the earliest dinosaurs to be discovered, and it roamed the earth 155-145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic time period.

When did the Staurikosaurus become extinct?

Unfortunately, Staurikosaurus dinosaurs went extinct 150 million years ago and had an average weight of about 66 lb (30 kg) and length of 7 ft (2.1 m) based on the skeleton and fossils.

Where did a Staurikosaurus live?

The Theropoda staurikosaurus of the kingdom Animalia, with only a few fossil remains, lived in the plains and near water because they would hunt for fish. They were also found around forests where there was a wider variety of smaller animals to prey on like lizards, amphibians, and insects.

What was a Staurikosaurus's habitat?

The habitat of a carnivore Staurikosaura of the clade Dinosauria is unknown, but scientists believe they were most likely carnivorous and inhabited the forests around Brazil and southern America during the Jurassic period when theropods walked on Earth.

Who did a Staurikosaurus live with?

This Theropoda dinosaur likely had no real companionship except maybe its own kind. After all, there were only around four specimens found so far!

How long did a Staurikosaurus live?

It's hard to say how long the large carnivorous Staurikosaurus lived for but based on other closely related animals, it likely survived for 30-50 years.

How did they reproduce?

The runner lizard Staurikosaurus were probably polygamous, just like closely related species, meaning they mated with multiple partners. Females laid eggs and males fertilized them afterward.

Staurikosaurus Fun Facts

What did a Staurikosaurus look like?

These carnivore herrerasauridae dinosaurs' fossil remains are found in a museum in North America in what is now Colorado.

It may have been omnivorous as its tooth morphology suggests both grazing and browsing habits, however, this has not yet been confirmed by any fossils formed in the Santa Maria Formation!

Based on the fossil remains, it has a really long neck, and its body is relatively small compared to the size of its head with a weight of 66 lb (30 kg) based on the skeleton, making up about half the total length.

The rest of this lizard dinosaur's body includes the incredibly tall tail along with thick, sturdy limbs for standing upright while walking around in search of food or treats nearby!

It had four legs, related sharp teeth, and claws. It mostly ate fish because its jaws were designed to tear the flesh off the bone.

Also, how closely set their eyes were together as seen in the existing fossil remains is similar to most reptiles today.

Staurikosaurus dinosaurs are known for the size of their legs and prominent vertebrae.

How many bones did a Staurikosaurus have?

These lizard dinosaurs had around 250 bones! The first time this large species was discovered by scientist Tom Lehman in 1955, they were just fragments of vertebrae, but since then, much more research on these theropods has come up with new information such as where their habitats used to be or what other animals lived alongside them.

All that aside, though, you probably want to know about those little tiny things called bones, well, for one thing, there are so many different types.

How did they communicate?

The runner Staurikosaurus pricei communicated with each other by snorting and grunting. They had a very small brain, so they didn't have much intelligence to speak but you would be able to hear them all the time even though it would not always heard or understood!

How big was a Staurikosaurus?

The runner Staurikosaurus was a large ornithischian dinosaur with bipedal legs that lived during the late Jurassic period. It is known for its small Staurikosaurus size, measuring only 7 ft (2.1 m) in length and the Staurikosaurus height of about 31.5 in (80 cm) tall based on the skeleton remains!

How fast could a Staurikosaurus move?

The southern cross Staurikosaurus of Brazil was a small, two-legged dinosaur that lived approximately 230 million years ago. It is believed to have been able to run a speed of 25-30 mph (40.2-48.3 kph) because of its similar characteristics and features of other animals from this time period.

How much did a Staurikosaurus weigh?

The Staurikosaurus was a type of dinosaur that had around 66 lb (30 kg) weight.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Both female and male species with bipedal legs of the genus Staurilosaurus are known as Staurikosaurus theropods with no sex-specific terms! The Staurikosaurus male and female were almost similar with the exception of a few features. The males had relatively larger heads, while females exhibited sexual dimorphism!

What would you call a baby Staurikosaurus?

These little theropods had no specific term and are be known as baby Staurikosaurus. The babies of Staurikosaurus were so tiny and adorable that they would have been easy prey for other big dinosaurs of history.

What did they eat?

The southern cross Staurikosaurus diet was that of a carnivorous theropod dinosaur. The small size of its forelimbs would have meant it couldn't compete with other large predators, but this did not stop the Staurikosaurus from hunting smaller dinosaurs, fish, or birds for food.

How aggressive were they?

The Staurikosaurus category class was what made it pretty aggressive. The Staurikosaurus, which was an armored theropod with spikes on its spine and a clubbed tail that it used to fight predators like Allosarusausauros, evolved in the middle of the Jurassic period about 155 million years ago from prosauropods. Staurikosaurus sounds made them sound even more aggressive in history.

Did you know...

Fossils of the southern cross Staurikosaurus skeleton were found in Brazil's Santa Maria Formation. The formation is part of a related group known as the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin, which dates back to between 235 and 232 million years ago during the Late Triassic Period.

How did the Staurikosaurus get its name?

The southern cross Staurikosaurus means 'cross of the river' in Greek. It was named because it lived near a crossroads between two rivers, where there would have been an abundance of animals to feed upon.

How many fingers did Staurikosaurus have?

When the Staurikosaurus was first discovered, it had two peculiar Staurikosaurus fingers and one curved thumb. Since then, however, the hand of this therapod has been studied extensively by paleontologists in order to understand more about how dinosaurs walked around on Earth millions of years ago!

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 Atrociraptor facts or Zigongosaurus facts for kids.

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

Main image by Kabacchi

Second image by Kabacchi

Staurikosaurus Facts

What Did They Prey On?

Fish, birds, and smaller dinosaurs

what Type of Animal were they?

Carnivore

Average Litter Size?

12-18

What Did They Look Like?

Gray, brown, olive green, and black

How Much Did They Weigh?

66 lb (30 kg)

Skin Type

Thick and scaly

How Long Were They?

7 ft (2.1 m)

How Tall Were They?

31.5 in (80 cm)

Kingdom

Animalia

Class

Clade: Dinosauria

Genus

Staurikosaurus

Family

Herrerasauridae

Scientific Name

Staurikosaurus pricei

What Were Their Main Threats?

Natural disasters

What Habitat Did They Live In?

Grass plains and forests

Where Did They Live?

Brazil and South America
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Written by Iram Ashfaq

Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Master of Public Health

Iram Ashfaq picture

Iram AshfaqBachelor of Dental Surgery, Master of Public Health

With a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery from Shaney Institute of Health Sciences and a Master's degree in Public Health from Imperial College London, Iram is a highly qualified and accomplished writer from Srinagar, India. Over the course of a year, she has acquired multiple writing certifications, focusing on health sciences and research studies. Prior to joining Kidadl, Iram gained valuable experience working as a content writer for Indian firms and interning at a New York-based company. Her expertise and passion for writing shine through in her ability to create compelling content across a variety of topics.

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