Anchisaurus

Anchisaurus is a small, slender sauropodomorph known from Early Jurassic rift valleys of Connecticut and Massachusetts. First uncovered in 1818, its bones were initially mistaken for human remains before Othniel Charles Marsh recognised their dinosaurian nature decades later. Measuring between two and two and a half metres in length and weighing roughly twenty to thirty-five kilograms, Anchisaurus was nimble compared with its giant descendants. It possessed a small skull with blunt, serrated teeth suited for herbivory, though opportunistic omnivory cannot be ruled out. While predominantly bipedal when moving quickly, its forelimbs retained strong thumbs with sharp claws that could have been used to grasp branches or scratch at roots. Anchisaurus remains one of the earliest recognised dinosaur taxa from North America.

Its initial fossils, found in 1818 during quarry blasting in Connecticut, were mistaken for human bones.

Where and when

Anchisaurus lived in the Early Jurassic, from 200 to 190 million years ago (Sinemurian age). Its remains come from United States, in the Portland Formation.

The numbers

Length 2.3 m (estimates run from 2 to 2.5 m). Mass about 26 kg. Hip height about 0.7 m. That is 1.4 human-lengths, or 0.21 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

Compare Anchisaurus with a bus Place on the timeline