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Nyasasaurus, Middle TriassicManda Beds Formation, Tanzania · named 1967
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Nyasasaurus

"Lake Nyasa lizard"

Type species Nyasasaurus cromptoni

Lived
247 to 242 million years ago, Middle Triassic
Group
Early dinosaurs
Found in
Tanzania
Named by
Charig 1967

Where its fossils were found

The evidence

Today

2 finds

245 million years ago

Map: C. R. Scotese, PALEOMAP

Habitat

It lived in the terrestrial landscape recorded by the Manda Beds in Tanzania. Asilisaurus was another early dinosaur relative in this region.

Field notes

About Nyasasaurus

What it was like

Nyasasaurus is known only from a handful of fragmentary bones, not enough to say much about its size or shape. Because those bones show traits close to those of the earliest true dinosaurs, some paleontologists count Nyasasaurus among the very first dinosaurs known. Whether it was truly a dinosaur or just a very close relative just outside the group is still debated.

Its world

Nyasasaurus lived in what is now Tanzania during the Middle Triassic, between about 247 and 242 million years ago. Its bones come from the Manda Beds, from two finds. It shared this ancient landscape with Asilisaurus, an early relative of dinosaurs.

How it was found

Charig named Nyasasaurus in 1967, though the animal was not formally described in detail until decades later. Its type species is Nyasasaurus cromptoni. Because so little of the skeleton is known, Nyasasaurus remains one of the most uncertain candidates for the title of oldest dinosaur.

Field gallery

More views of Nyasasaurus

Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.

Nyasasaurus in its habitat, photo 1

Lived alongside

Found in the same rock formations

A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Nyasasaurus.

The evidence

The science behind Nyasasaurus

Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.

From its own fossils

  • An upper arm bone and parts of the backbone are the main known remains.
  • The upper arm bone has a long ridge for muscle attachment, a feature found in dinosaurs.
  • Microscopic structure inside the arm bone indicates rapid growth.

Borrowed from relatives

  • A slender body and long tail are provisional comparisons with early dinosaurs and close relatives such as Asilisaurus.
  • Any complete head or set of limbs is filled in from relatives rather than Nyasasaurus bones.

Still unknown

  • Whether it was a dinosaur or a close relative just outside the group.
  • The shape of its skull, complete limbs and tail, and its adult size.
  • Its diet, skin covering and color.

Discovery timeline

  1. 1967Named itCharig
  2. 2010Same rocksNesbitt et al.
  3. 2013Full descriptionNesbitt et al.

Key papers

The research behind what we know of Nyasasaurus

Sources: Wikidata