a relatively small, carnivorous, or meat-eating, dinosaur that inhabited South America during the late Triassic period, approximately 208 to 230 million years ago. Herrerasaurus is classified as a member of the family Herrerasauridae, which contains the oldest and most primitive dinosaurs known, and of the order Saurischia. Herrerasaurus is named after Victorino Herrera, who found the first specimen in 1958 near San Juan, Argentina. This find, which consisted of three partial skeletons, was described in 1963. In 1988 paleontologist Paul Sereno discovered a complete skull and several nearly complete skeletons at a site in the same area of Argentina, allowing for more comprehensive study of this early dinosaur. |