Noasaurus Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Noasaurus Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Infraorder:	Ceratosauria
Superfamily:	Abelisauroidea
Family:	Noasauridae
Genus:	Noasaurus
Binomial name
*Noasaurus leali* Bonaparte & Powell, 1980

Noasaurus was a small meat-eating dinosaur. It lived a long time ago in what is now South America. This dinosaur was a hunter, even though it was not very big. It shows us that dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes, from the largest to some of the smallest hunters.

Meet Noasaurus: A Small but Mighty Hunter
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Meet Noasaurus: A Small but Mighty Hunter

Noasaurus was a type of dinosaur known as a theropod. Theropods were mostly meat-eaters, and they walked on two legs. Even though some theropods like Tyrannosaurus rex were huge, Noasaurus was quite small. It was an important part of its ancient environment.

Where Did Noasaurus Live?

Noasaurus lived during the Upper Cretaceous period. This was about 83 to 66 million years ago. Its fossils were found in northwestern Argentina, which is in South America. At that time, some of the biggest dinosaurs ever lived in the same area.

How Was Noasaurus Discovered?

The first fossils of Noasaurus were found by two scientists. Their names were Jaime Powell and José Bonaparte. They made this exciting discovery in 1980. The bones they found helped us learn about this unique dinosaur.

What Made Noasaurus Special?

One of the most interesting parts of Noasaurus was its foot claw. This claw was very unusual. Scientists have studied it a lot to understand how Noasaurus moved and hunted. This special claw also helps us figure out how Noasaurus is related to other dinosaurs.

Noasaurus had some features that looked like raptor dinosaurs. Raptors lived in places like North America and Asia. However, Noasaurus was not a close relative of those raptors. This shows how different dinosaurs could develop similar traits even if they were not directly related.

Its Place in the Dinosaur World

Noasaurus belongs to a group of dinosaurs called Noasauridae. These were often small to medium-sized theropods. They lived in different parts of the world, including South America and Africa. Noasaurus helps scientists understand the diversity of dinosaurs. It shows that even small hunters played a big role in the ancient food web.