Unaysaurus

Name Origin

Lizard of Unay (meaning Black Water)

Family

Plateosauridae

Classification

Diapsida, Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha

Habitat (Discovery Location)

Brazil

Period

Approximately 225–200 million years ago (Late Triassic)

Length

Approximately 2.5 meters

Weight

Approximately 70 kg

Diet

Herbivore

Description

Unaysaurus is a small prosauropod weighing about 70 kg that lived in the region now known as Brazil, South America, during the Late Triassic period.

Its fossils were discovered in strata that are particularly old even for the Late Triassic, making it known as one of the “world’s oldest dinosaurs” or “oldest sauropodomorphs.”

One of the World’s Oldest Dinosaurs: An Inhabitant of an Era Older than Plateosaurus

Unaysaurus lived during a very early part of the Late Triassic.
Its fossils were discovered in geological layers that are exceptionally old for that period.
This means it lived in an era even older than the famous Plateosaurus and Anchisaurus.

Because of this age, Unaysaurus is considered an extremely important specimen for understanding the very earliest stages of dinosaur evolution.

The Best Preservation in Brazil! A Precious Specimen That Proved a New Species

The condition of the discovered fossils also speaks to the importance of this dinosaur.
Although only about half of the skeleton was found, it is actually a precious specimen with the most recovered parts among dinosaurs discovered in Brazil (boasting the best preservation state in Brazil).

Usually, finding dinosaur fossils in a complete form is extremely difficult.
However, the fossils of Unaysaurus were well-preserved for their age, possessing sufficient quality to prove it was a previously unknown new species.

Evidence of Crossing Pangea: The Relationship with European Dinosaurs

The existence of Unaysaurus also serves as an important clue for understanding the geography of the Earth at that time.

An Unexpected Connection Between Brazil and Europe

Interestingly, despite being discovered in Brazil (South America), this dinosaur is known to be phylogenetically closely related to Plateosaurus, which was found in far-off Europe.

One Massive Landmass: “Pangea”

The fact that Unaysaurus, inhabiting South America, shares similarities with dinosaurs in distant Europe is considered evidence that all continents were once connected as a single massive landmass called “Pangea.”

Because the land was connected, Unaysaurus and its relatives could walk from Brazil to Europe.
It is speculated that they evolved in these new locations, eventually changing into large dinosaurs like Plateosaurus.