Unaysaurus tolentinoi

Unaysaurus is the first prosauropod dinosaur discovered in Brazil. The holotype (4FSM 11069) of Unaysaurus was found in the Caturrita Formation in Brazil. It was unearthed in Carnian-Norian strata and dates to around 225 million years ago. Unaysaurus had a length of about 2.5 m. (8.2 feet). Its height was 70-80 cm.. (2-3 feet). This dinosaur shows affinities to Plateosaurus and may belong in the family Plateosauridae.

Name

Unaysaurus tolentinoi

Authority

Leal, Azevodo, Kellner and da Rosa, 2004.

Meaning of generic name

"Black Water" in the local Tupi language

Meaning of specific name

Named after Tolentino Marafiga, who discovered the fossils by the side of a road in 1998

[actually his name would be Tolentinus in most simple latinization, so the generic name should have been Tolentini]

Size

Body Length: 8.2 ft (2.5 m)

Remains

Holotype 4FSM 11069: a partial (semi articulated) skeleton with almost complete skull and lower jaw.

Age and Distribution

Horizon: Caturrita Formation, Late Triassic Period (Carnian - Norian)

Locality: Rio Grande do Sul, near the city of Santa Maria, Southern Brazil

Classification

Dinosauria Saurischia Sauropodamorpha Prosauropoda ?Plateosauridae

Further Reading

Luciano A. Leal, Sergio A. K. Azevodo, Alexander W. A. Kellner, and Átila A. S. da Rosa. 2004. "A new early dinosaur (Sauropodomorpha) from the Caturrita Formation (Late Triassic), Paraná Basin, Brazil". Zootaxa 690: 1–24.