Unaysaurus

Unaysaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic, 225.42 Ma
Skeletal diagram showing known remains
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Sauropodomorpha
Clade: Bagualosauria
Clade: Unaysauridae
Genus: Unaysaurus
Leal et al., 2004
Type species
Unaysaurus tolentinoi
Leal et al., 2004

Unaysaurus is a genus of unaysaurid sauropodomorph herbivore dinosaur. Discovered in southern Brazil, in the geopark of Paleorrota, in 1998, and announced in a press conference on Thursday, December 3, 2004, it is one of the oldest dinosaurs known. It is closely related to plateosaurid dinosaurs found in Germany, which indicates that it was relatively easy for species to spread across the giant landmass of the time, the supercontinent of Pangaea.[1]

The fossils of Unaysaurus are well preserved. They consist of an almost complete skull, complete with a lower jaw, and partial skeleton with many of the bones still connected to each other in their natural positions. It is one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons (including complete skull) ever recovered in Brazil.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference leal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).