Panphagia
"eats everything"
- Lived
- 237 to 227 million years ago, Late Triassic
- Group
- Early sauropodomorphs, Saturnaliidae
- Found in
- Argentina
- Named by
- Martínez and Alcober 2009
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
230 million years ago
Habitat
Rivers crossed a floodplain with seasonal rainfall and patches of woody vegetation in what is now Argentina. Herrerasaurus, Eoraptor and Eodromaeus lived in the same region.
Field notes
About Panphagia
What it was like
Panphagia was a small, early two-legged dinosaur, one of the oldest members of the long-necked line that later produced the giant sauropods. It was only a few feet long.
Its teeth suggest it ate both plants and small animals, which is where its name comes from.
Its world
It lived about 237 to 227 million years ago, in the Late Triassic, in what is now Argentina. Its bones come from the Ischigualasto Formation, which holds some of the oldest dinosaurs known, including Herrerasaurus, Eoraptor and Eodromaeus.
How it was found
Martínez and Alcober named Panphagia in 2009, from a single partial skeleton.
Field gallery
More views of Panphagia
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
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 Panphagia.
The evidence
The science behind Panphagia
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A partial skeleton preserves parts of the skull, lower jaws, backbone, pelvis and hind legs.
- The lower jaw is slender, and the skull roof is narrow between the eyes.
- Its body was more elongated, with relatively shorter hind legs, than Eoraptor's.
Borrowed from relatives
- Eoraptor helps fill in the missing front of the upper jaw, arms and thigh bones.
- The hands are usually restored with grasping fingers and curved claws, following Eoraptor.
Still unknown
- Its full adult size and proportions.
- The exact arrangement of its fingers and toes.
- Its skin covering and color.
Often drawn wrong
- A bulky body and pillar-like legs copy much later sauropods; Panphagia was a slender animal that walked on its hind legs.
Discovery timeline
- 2009Named itMartinez & Alcober
- 2012SkullMartínez, Haro & Apaldetti
- 2012Close relativeSereno, Martínez & Alcober
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Panphagia
Named it
Described a small early sauropodomorph with teeth suggesting a diet of both plants and small animals.
A Basal Sauropodomorph (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from the Ischigualasto Formation (Triassic, Carnian) and the Early Evolution of Sauropodomorpha. PLoS ONE 4: e4397
Read the paper : A Basal Sauropodomorph (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from the Ischigualasto Formation (Triassic, Carnian) and the Early Evolution of Sauropodomorpha (opens in a new tab)Skull
Described the bones around the brain and compared them with those of other early dinosaurs.
Braincase of Panphagia protos (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32: 70-82
Read the paper : Braincase of Panphagia protos (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha) (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Detailed Eoraptor's skeleton, a useful comparison for the missing jaws, arms and legs of Panphagia.
Osteology ofEoraptor lunensis(Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32: 83-179
Read the paper : Osteology ofEoraptor lunensis(Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha) (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Saturnaliidae
Sources: Wikidata