Elaphrosaurus

Name Origin

Light Lizard

Classification

Diapsida, Saurischia, Theropoda

Habitat (Discovery Location)

Tanzania

Period

Approximately 154 to 150 million years ago (Late Jurassic)

Length

Approximately 5 to 6 meters

Weight

Approximately 100 to 300 kilograms

Diet

Carnivore (Meat-eater)

Description

Elaphrosaurus was a slender dinosaur that lived on the African continent during the Late Jurassic period.
Its name means “light” in ancient Greek, and as the name suggests, it was characterized by its slender build.

A Swift Body and a Unique Evolution

Elaphrosaurus had a long, slender neck, torso, and tail, and its bones were hollow, making it very light.
Its weight was about 200 kg, roughly the same as a modern lion, and this physique is thought to have made it the fastest runner of the dinosaurs during the Jurassic period.

Initially, its slender body led researchers to believe it was a relative of the North American ornithomimids (ostrich dinosaurs).
However, it is now believed to have been a relative of theropods that lived in the Southern Hemisphere, such as Ceratosaurus and Carnotaurus.
This suggests that Elaphrosaurus followed a unique evolutionary path.

A Mysterious Full Appearance

Although fossils of Elaphrosaurus have been discovered, no skull has ever been found.
As a result, its complete appearance remains a mystery.
Some suggest that it was a type of Ceratosaurus, and thus may have had a horn on its nose, but this is not certain.

Elaphrosaurus was a dinosaur shrouded in mystery that ran through the Jurassic period with its lightweight body and speed.