Eodromaeus

Eodromaeus (meaning "dawn runner") is an extinct genus of basal theropod dinosaur from the Upper Triassic of Argentina.^[1] An almost complete articulated skeleton (the bones were still mostly connected) was found in 1996.

Eodromaeus Temporal range: Carnian ~231.4–229 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Restored skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Genus:	†Eodromaeus Martinez et al. 2011
Species:	†E. murphi
Binomial name
Eodromaeus murphi Martinez et al. 2011

Eodromaeus has been cited by Paul Sereno as "close to the root of the dinosaurs".^[2] It is the earliest known definite theropod.

Description

Eodromaeus was a relatively small dinosaur, with a total length of about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) from nose to tail, and a weight of about 5 kilograms (11 lb). The trunk was long and slender. It is unknown how fast Eodromaeus could run: about 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph) has been suggested.^[3] The animal was, like all early dinosaurs, bipedal. The forelimbs were much shorter than the hindlimbs, ending in hands with five digits. Digits IV and V were very reduced in size.^[1]