Outline: a typical early sauropodomorph
Ignavusaurus
"coward lizard"
Type species Ignavusaurus rachelis
- Lived
- 201 to 193 million years ago, Early Jurassic
- Group
- Early sauropodomorphs, Massospondylidae
- Found in
- Lesotho
- Named by
- Knoll 2010
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
195 million years ago
Field notes
About Ignavusaurus
What it was like
Ignavusaurus was a small plant eater from the long-necked line that later produced the giant sauropods, a relative of Massospondylus. The known skeleton may come from a young animal.
Its world
It lived in the Early Jurassic in what is now Lesotho. Its bones come from the Elliot Formation, where it shared the land with Massospondylus, Heterodontosaurus and Lesothosaurus.
How it was found
Knoll named Ignavusaurus in 2010. Its name comes from the local name of the place where it was found, which means "home of the father of the coward" in the local language.
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
Close relatives
Other members of Massospondylidae
Sources: WikidataNamed in: F. Knoll. 2010. A primitive sauropodomorph from the upper Elliot Formation of Lesotho. Geological Magazine 147(6):814-829