Omnisaura

Dinosaur genus

Ignavusaurus

Knoll 2010

Ignavusaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 201.4–192.9 million years old, in Lesotho.

Confidence labels
How sure are we?5 high4 medium1 lowHow we rate confidence

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 11 October 2026
201.4–192.9 Ma
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by
Knoll 2010
highhigh: PBDB and Wikidata agree.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
F. Knoll (2010). A primitive sauropodomorph from the upper Elliot Formation of Lesotho. Geological Magazine 147(6): 814–829. Read it
highhigh: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Knoll 2010), 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.

Type species
Ignavusaurus rachelis
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Lived
Hettangian to Sinemurian, 201.4–192.9 million years ago
highhigh: PBDB and NHM agree.
Omnisaura calculation201.4–192.9 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
lowlow: Omnisaura's calculation from only 2 dated record(s).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
Lesotho
highhigh: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
Elliot Formation
highhigh: NHM and PBDB both record it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Family
Massospondylidae
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Parent group
Massospondylidae
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Order
Saurischia
mediummedium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.

Species named in its records
Ignavusaurus rachelis
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).

Known from
Bones
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known 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: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); order (NHM).

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. Ignavusaurus had gone at least 109.3 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 Ignavusaurus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.

IgnavusaurusSame rocks, same timeSame familyAlso found in LesothoMassospondylusLesothosaurusAnomoepusGrallatorand 15 moreAdeopapposaurusColoradisaurusLufengosaurusSarahsaurusand 1 moreTrisauropodiscusAbrictosaurusEubrontesKalosauropusand 8 more

Same rocks, same time 19

Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

MassospondylusLesothosaurusAnomoepusGrallatorSyntarsusAntetonitrusHeterodontosaurusLycorhinusTrisauropodiscusAardonyxAbrictosaurusArcusaurusDracovenatorEubrontesKalosauropusKayentapusand 3 more

Same family: Massospondylidae 5

Other genera in Massospondylidae with a full profile.

AdeopapposaurusColoradisaurusLufengosaurusMassospondylusSarahsaurus

Found in Lesotho 12

Other genera found in Lesotho, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.

AnomoepusGrallatorLesothosaurusMassospondylusTrisauropodiscusAbrictosaurusEubrontesKalosauropusKayentapusMafatrisauropusPseudotrisauropusThecodontosaurus

Credits

Where this page comes from

  • Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
  • Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
  • 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.