Classification: Dinosauria - Saurischia - Theropoda - Herrerasauridae
Time Period: Late Triassic
Location: Brazil
Diet: Carnivore
Staurikosaurus was a small and agile predator that reached about seven and a half feet in length, about two and a half feet in height, and clocked in around sixty pounds. Staurikosaurus is based on fragmentary material, but enough has been found to know that it was a quick-running carnivore with serrated teeth that curved back towards the throat, enabling it to catch and hold onto prey; though this teeth feature would disappear in later theropods, it was common among those of the Upper Triassic. A sliding joint in its jaw allowed the jaw to move backwards and forwards, as well as up and down, so that smaller prey could be worked backwards towards the throat. It had a long tail that it held off the ground as it ran; the rear part of its tail was stiffened and acted as a dynamic stabilizer enabling the creature to run and leap with precise agility. It would’ve preyed on small and medium-sized animals.
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