Fun Trinisaura Facts For Kids

The Trinisaura santamartaensis was a small ornithopod dinosaur discovered on James Ross Island, in the Snow Hill Formation, Antarctica. Partial skeleton remains of these dinosaurs were recovered but lacked the skull specimen. These dinosaurs were from the lower level Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period.

These Trinisaura were small in length with fur on their bodies to save themselves from the cold Antarctic climatic conditions. Through some research, it is believed that these dinosaurs were oviparous and reproduced by laying eggs.

Many researchers have contributed to the discovery of these ornithopod dinosaurs, namely Juan Moly, Reguero, and Rodolfo Coria. It is believed that these dinosaurs shared their Antarctic habitat with the armored Nodosaurus, Antarctopelta. This dinosaur is from the same period and era.

If you enjoy reading this article about small ornithopod dinosaurs, then do read and learn some interesting and surprising facts about other dinosaurs, such as the Nodocephalosaurus and the Anabisetia.

How do you pronounce 'Trinisaura'?

The word Trinisaura is pronounced 'tree-na-sore-rah'.

What type of dinosaur was the Trinisaura?

The Trinisaura was a small ornithopod dinosaur in the Dinosauria and Elasmaria clade, and the Ornithischia order. The type species of these ornithopods is Trinisaura santamartaensis. It is the new ornithopod Dinosauria Ornithischia from Antarctica. This dinosaur lacks information and research due to the few remains recovered from Antarctica.

In which geological period did the Trinisaura roam the earth?

These ornithopods, Trinisaura santamartaensis, roamed around the earth during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period.

When did the Trinisaura become extinct?

The Trinisaura became extinct about 83 million years to 72 million years ago.

Where did Trinisaura live?

The Trinisaura, a small ornithopod dinosaur from the lower levels of the Late Cretaceous period, lived in Antarctica, in the James Ross Island, Snow Hill Formation. The partial skeleton was recovered from the Cretaceous research on Antarctica. The discovery of this dinosaur group species is attributed to Rodolfo Coria, Juan Moly, Marcelo Reguero, Sergio Santillana, and Sergio Marenssi. The generic name was given by the geologist Trinidad Diaz. The dinosaur's name refers to the Santa Marta Cove site where these dinosaur fossils were recovered.

What was the Trinisaura's habitat?

The Trinisaura habitat of Santa Marta cove was mostly covered with snow and ice. They lived in cold areas and roamed on their small legs to forage upon the low-lying green vegetation.

Who did Trinisaura live with?

There is no specific information available in regard to whether these Antarctic Snow Hill Formation dinosaurs lived in packs or groups.

How long did Trinisaura live?

The Trinisaura santamartaensis lived between 83 million years ago and 72 million years ago during the lower level Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period.

How did they reproduce?

The Trinisaura santamartaensis dinosaur reproduction information is unknown, as in-depth research has not been possible due to the lack of many fossils. However, most of the Elasmaria were oviparous and laid eggs in clutches.

What did a Trinisaura look like?

The Trinisaura santamartaensis was a small ornithopod dinosaur, and the fossils found include the hip, limb, and spinal bones, but no skull. These dinosaurs were grouped among the beaked, grazing herbivores and were of different sizes and shapes, from small bipedal sprinters to hulking creatures. It is believed that these dinosaurs had fur on their skin to protect themselves from the excessively cold weather in Antarctica.

How many bones did a Trinisaura have?

The exact number of bones in the Trinisaura skeleton is unknown, and only partial skeleton fossils were discovered in the Snow Hill Formation of Antarctica. The partial skeleton was incomplete and the skull was missing.

How did they communicate?

There is no specific information available in regard to how they communicate. However, most ornithopod dinosaurs are believed to use their olfactory and tactile cues in order to communicate with species of their own kind.

How big was the Trinisaura?

The Santa Marta Cove, James Ross Formation, Antarctica dinosaurs were 5 ft (152 cm) long. They were considered to be small-sized species of dinosaurs of their age.

How fast could a Trinisaura move?

The exact speed of the Trinisaura is not evaluated and is unknown to the world.

How much did a Trinisaura weigh?

The weight of the Antarctic dinosaur is not known and not evaluated by geologists.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There was no specific name given to the male and female species of these Trinisaura dinosaurs from James Ross Island, Santa Marta Cove site.

What would you call a baby Trinisaura?

The babies of Trinisaura are called hatchlings or juveniles.

What did they eat?

The partial fossil remains of this dinosaur discovery from the lower levels of the Campanian Cretaceous period in Antarctica, tell us that these dinosaurs were herbivores and fed mostly on low-lying vegetation such as grasses, shrubs, and small plants. These species shared their habitat with armored herbivore dinosaurs.

How aggressive were they?

There is not much information available regarding their aggressive behavior. However, certain assumptions can be made as they were small ornithopods and herbivorous, so they may not have been very aggressive.

Did you know...

The new ornithopod dinosaur from Antarctica, Trinisaura santamartaensis, has some unique characteristics, such as a scapula with a spike-like acromial process. This had a sharp lateral crest and was longer than other ornithopods. There is also a humerus which has a rudimentary deltopectoral crest on the anterolateral margin. The holotype specimen is comprised of vertebral and appendicular characters.

The Nodosaurus dinosaurs, with whom the Trinisaura shared their habitat, were well-known knobbed lizards of the late Cretaceous period. These species were native to North America and may have migrated during their age. They were not confined to a particular place and were found worldwide. These species were 13-20 ft (4-6 m) in length.

The Antarctopelta was the first ankylosaur dinosaur found in Antarctica. Their fossils were recovered from James Ross Island in 1986. They were believed to be medium-sized ankylosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period. These species were 20 ft (6 m) in length and weighed 772 lb (350 kg). These ankylosaurs were quadrupedal herbivores protected by armored plates on their hard skin.

Where was Trinisaura identified?

The Trinisaura was from Antarctica. Their fossils or remains were recovered from James Ross Island, the Snow Hill Formation. Their discovery is located at the site of Santa Marta Cove.

What does Trinisaura mean?

The generic name was given after the geologist Trinidad Diaz, who worked to discover the dinosaurs from Antarctica. Trinidad is honored with the name of this dinosaur genus, whereas the type species, Trinisaura santamartaensis, was named after the sites from where they recovered, the site of Santa Marta Cove in the Snow Hill Formation of James Ross, Antarctica.

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 Cearadactylus facts and Jingshanosaurus fun facts for kids.

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

Main image by Levi bernardo.

Second image by Nobu Tamura.