Herrerasaurus

Herrera's lizard

• Herrera · Spanish (surname) · Victorino Herrera, the discoverer of the first fossils
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Herrerasaurus is named in honour of Victorino Herrera, an Argentine goat herder who discovered the first fossils in 1959 near San Juan, Argentina. The second part of the name is the Greek word for lizard. Together the name means "Herrera's lizard".

Named by

Reig

Year named

1963

Period

Late Triassic

Stage

Carnian

Found in

Ischigualasto Formation, San Juan Province, Argentina

One of the earliest known dinosaurs, a bipedal predator. Its exact position within Dinosauria (early theropod versus basal saurischian or outside the theropod/sauropodomorph split) has been debated. The type species is Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis.