Prosauropod facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prosauropods Temporal range: Upper Triassic – Lower Jurassic
Plateosaurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Sauropodomorpha
Infraorder:	Prosauropoda von Huene, 1920
Families
Riojasauridae Plateosauridae Massospondylidae

Prosauropods were a group of early herbivorous dinosaurs that lived during the later Triassic and early Jurassic periods.

They were the largest herbivores in their environment, and quickly reached (6 to 10 meters long). All prosauropods had a long neck and small head, forelimbs shorter than the hindlimbs, and a very large thumb claw for defense. They were originally thought to be the ancestors of the sauropods, but are now considered by some as a parallel lineage.

Taxonomy

• Infraorder Prosauropoda
  • ?Yimenosaurus
  • ?Mussaurus
  • Family Riojasauridae
    • Eucnemesaurus
    • Riojasaurus
    • Family Plateosauridae
      • Plateosaurus
      • Sellosaurus
      • ?Unaysaurus
      • Family Massospondylidae
        • Coloradisaurus
        • Lufengosaurus
        • Massospondylus
        • Yunnanosaurus
        • Jingshanosaurus

Images for kids

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  Skull of Nigersaurus taqueti and head posture in sauropodomorphs

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  Restoration of Panphagia, one of the most basal sauropodomorphs known.

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  Plateosaurus is a well-known prosauropod.

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  Skull comparison of several sauropodomorphs

See also

In Spanish: Plateosáuridos para niños