Dinosaur genus
Herrerasaurus
Herrerasaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 237–227.3 million years old, in Argentina.
Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 5 October 2026- Named by
- Reig 1963
high
high: PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- O. A. Reig (1963). La presencia de dinosaurios saurisquios en los "Estratos de Ischigualasto" (Mesotriasico Superior) de las provincias de San Juan y La Rioja (República Argentina) [The presence of saurischian dinosaurs in the "Ischigualasto beds" (upper Middle Triassic) of San Juan and La Rioja Provinces (Argentine Republic)]. Ameghiniana 3(1): 3–20.
high
high: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Reig 1963), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Lived
- Carnian, 237–227.3 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Omnisaura calculation237–227.3 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 11 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- Argentina
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (11 records).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Ischigualasto
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (11 records).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Family
- Herrerasauridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Herrerasauridae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Species named in its records
- Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Older or other names
- Frenguellisaurus (a junior synonym); Ischisaurus (a junior synonym)
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (names it treats as this genus).
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
- Order: no source we use gives it yet.
- Diet: no source we use gives it yet.
- Way of life: no source we use gives it yet.
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Resting on one source: 3 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB).
Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.
Did it meet…?
No. Herrerasaurus had gone at least 143.7 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record, a longer gap than the 66 million years between Tyrannosaurus and today.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Connections
Genera linked to Herrerasaurus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.
Same rocks, same time 3
Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.
Found in Argentina 4
Other genera found in Argentina, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines
Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.